Sorry that this took a few extra days. I've been busy with the aforementioned new job, family emergency, and general disinclination to do anything productive. Thank you to Morgan for her encouragement and brilliant beta work. I hope this is worth the wait ;)
Caroline waited impatiently for ten minutes after Klaus left to make sure that he wouldn't come back for something he forgot before letting out a deep breath and going to the closet to grab her vibrator. She'd been looking forward to him being occupied for an entire evening for weeks, needing to let herself have something longer than a stolen few minutes in the bath, trying to keep herself from coming to his imaginary touch.
The honeymoon had basically blown away any hopes she'd had of holding off on having sex for much longer. The loaded glances he gave her were what fantasies were made of, and she simultaneously hated it and was desperate for more. She kind of loved the way his eyes lingered on her, the pure want in his eyes. She'd never seen him look that way at anyone else, even when he'd dated other girls at Hogwarts. It made her feel powerful.
She knew it was kind of ridiculous to like that, to want Klaus of all people to want her. Considering that she was stuck in an arranged marriage, she wasn't exactly going to say no to a husband who looked like he wanted to tear off her clothes whenever he laid eyes on her.
Since their honeymoon, and even before it if she was honest with herself, he always seemed to work his way into her fantasies somehow. Whatever person she'd been determined to imagine touching her always seeming to melt away to dimples and stubble. She blamed the fact that her thoughts seemed to stubbornly drift in a Klaus-related direction on his proximity and the fact that he filled out his dress robes so well. She wished that she had more interactions with hot men that weren't him, because that might solve her problem. Ugh. Why had she agreed to monogamy again?
And knowing what his lips felt like pressed to hers had just made it worse. The memories of the parties and events they attended together had affected her so much that she still could practically feel his hands burning into the skin of her waist. Her thoughts still drifted to the first party they'd been to where they'd danced and he'd kissed her in front of the whole room, fantasies of a much different ending to that night filling her brain. It should have been a short kiss, a chaste one, but she'd deepened it without thinking about it, suddenly aching for his touch, and now all she could think about was how she wished he'd interrupted their heated argument after with kisses that felt just as good.
And now she was safe to think about how things could have gone differently in the privacy of her bedroom.
Klaus wasn't home. He was off at some party thrown by one of his "friends," and he warned her not to wait up, looking annoyed as he prepared his things to leave. She knew he didn't like the balls that his associates (read: minions) threw. They were always ostentatious, the hosts more concerned with impressing their guests with their wealth than anyone actually having fun. The food was expensive but mediocre, the entertainment always the newest hit band that Klaus wasn't fond of. He usually made an appearance and then came home relatively early, but he'd mentioned that the Greengrasses had a friend they wanted him to meet who might have information on whatever project he was working on, so he'd decided to stay to interrogate the man for information about whatever secret project Klaus was working on. From what she understood, the man rarely came to events, and this was Klaus's chance to secure him as a contact.
It was also her chance to get a longer session of "me" time without worrying about being caught.
She massaged her breasts, gasping softly as she pulled at her nipples before letting one hand wander down to rub her clit, spreading her legs wide to get a pleasurable ache. She closed her eyes, imagining that Klaus was watching her with heated eyes, stroking his cock in a chair nearby as he drank her in. Her breathing quickened as she grew wetter, hooking two fingers in her pussy and rolling her hips against them to make them brush against her walls just the way she liked. She tapped her vibrator with her wand, murmuring the settings under her breath and positioned it at her entrance, lifting her hips to let it slide in and out of its own accord and setting her wand aside. It was enchanted to feel like skin, hot and slick inside of her as it slid in and out, vibrating gently to build her up.
She lifted her legs, drawing them back to allow the toy to get deeper as she tugged at her nipples, her hips beginning to roll frantically against the toy as it picked up its pace. She imagined it was Klaus's cock filling her over and over. He'd whisper how good she felt, how pretty she was when she moaned for him. She could feel her high building as the vibrator sped up, though she knew she'd never tip over the edge without a toy or her finger on her clit, and she'd done a spell to keep herself from coming without the counterspell just to be sure.
No, this was about teasing herself. She'd always liked edging, drawing it out until she couldn't take another moment, and she had enough time to indulge herself now.
Merlin, it felt so good.
She knew she was being a little loud, but her and Klaus's wing of the mansion was enchanted to silence any sounds. No one would dare bother her when she was having some time alone. She had to admit that the thought of Klaus walking in on it was a little hot, and all she could think about once that thought had trickled into her brain was the way his eyes would darken, his lips parting slightly as he drank her in. She let herself let go, arching her back and pressing her palms to the backs of her thighs to pull them even closer to her chest, to enhance the twinge of pain she needed to build herself higher.
She didn't know how long it had been since she'd begun, the haze of pleasure making her lose track of time, but she knew that her hair was sticking to her forehead, her muscles aching as she writhed against the toy as she imagined Klaus fucking her hard and fast, growling her name. She was about to reach for her wand to cast the counterspell and let herself tip over the edge when she heard the bedroom door open.
She let out a squeak of surprise grabbing her wand to stop the vibrator and pulling the covers up to her chin, her eyes wide. Klaus was standing in the doorway, his lips parted slightly, eyes dark with lust. "Caroline," he said, his voice hoarse.
"Get out!" she said, probably a bit too loudly to be reasonable. She could feel her face heat and was fairly sure she was growing tomato-colored even as she covered her face with her hands and waited for the floor to swallow her, waiting for the door to close. She was breathing hard, her orgasm so close, but she wasn't sure she could tip over the edge knowing that Klaus was right there.
Or, really, she was worried it would be too easy to. That she'd find it hot.
She got out of bed, grabbing some cotton shorts and a tank top and tapping her vibrator to clean it, sticking it back in her bedside drawer where it belonged before clearing her throat. "I'm decent. You can come in now," she called.
Klaus entered, looking slightly more put together, smirking as he closed the door behind him. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked, his eyes wide with faux innocence undercut by his wicked smile.
"Until you interrupted," she said, deciding to not bother denying it.
"Really? I was under the impression that I could have been welcome."
"What?" she snapped, crossing her arms protectively over her chest, suddenly worried. "Why?"
"You didn't realize you were moaning my name?" he asked, looking like the cat who caught the canary. "Screaming it, in fact?"
"I hadn't," she bit out. "And you should knock next time."
"It's my bedroom too, love," he pointed out. She found herself annoyed that he'd made a reasonable point, huffing and grabbing her wand from the side table.
"I'm going to take a shower," she said shortly.
"Are you sure you don't want some help, love? You seemed close."
She was kind of mad that she was seriously tempted. She bit her lip, looking at him, assessing. "You want to?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. How could I deny my lovely wife anything?" he asked, though his tone was a bit too much on the mocking side for her tastes. That put her off. Annoyed her. An idea hatched in her mind, something that would hit his pride directly.
"What's in it for me?"
He raised his eyebrow. "An orgasm."
"That seems a little altruistic. That's all you want? To give me an orgasm? Nothing for yourself?"
He gave her a suspicious look (to be fair, he wasn't wrong to do it), seeming to consider her words. "Perhaps if I make you come on my tongue you'd be amenable to return the favor?"
"If you make me," she said, raising her eyebrows.
He laughed. "I will, sweetheart."
"You're sure?"
His dimples cut into his cheeks. "Perhaps you've had partners who didn't know how to properly make you scream for them. I assure you I do."
She smirked. She hadn't done the counterspell to the spell that prevented her orgasm. "Do you think you can do it with a time limit?" she asked innocently, her eyebrows raised as she sunk back on their bed, playing with the drawstrings of her shorts.
"Five minutes at most," he promised. "Lie back for me, love."
She did, watching as Klaus got up on the bed and settled between her thighs, hooking his fingers around the waistband of her shorts and tugging them down her legs, bending to press light kisses below her belly button before following the trail of the fabric down her thighs. He watched her intently, searching for her reactions as he gently rubbed the sole of her foot with his thumb, pressing a kiss to her ankle before bending down, nipping at her inner thighs, his fingers tracing her hip bones. "Keep your legs spread wide for me, sweetheart."
She nodded in answer, curling her fingers into the sheets in anticipation, just knowing that he was about to touch her making her ache. She frowned when he paused, his eyebrows raising for a moment before he continued pressing kisses to her skin, just shy of where she wanted his mouth.
"I'll just remove this pesky enchantment, shall I?" he asked, his lips brushing against her thigh as he pressed kisses to it.
"How did you know?" she breathed, her eyes wide.
Klaus was smirking at her, his eyes sparkling, his fingers still drawing lines across her hip bone. "About the spell?"
"Yes," she said, too curious about how Klaus had noticed it to bother being sorry that she'd cheated. They were both Slytherins. He could respect a good loophole.
"Enchantments have traces, sweetheart," he said, bending to press more kisses to her inner thigh as he spoke, dragging his teeth along her sensitive skin, making her shiver. "I do believe that's cheating unless I remove it, hmm?"
She huffed, figuring the longer she stalled the less time he'd have to follow through. "Fine."
He stroked her hip bones with his thumbs before bending down again to flick his tongue against her clit. Her hips shot up at the sensation, and she moaned loudly. "I thought...I thought you were going to take it off."
"I did," he said before continuing his lazy flicks of his tongue against her clit, humming softly in satisfaction when he moved down to her opening and found her soaking.
"Your wand is over there," she gasped, pointing in the vague direction of where it was sitting by his jacket, her eyes closing as her back arched.
"Look at me, love," he said, gently pinching the skin of her hip. She could see the smirk when she opened her eyes. "And I did it wandlessly."
She gaped at him, sitting up. "You can do wandless magic?"
It had to be a joke. Almost no one could accomplish even the simplest of spells wandless, let alone recognizing the charge of magic without a wand and undoing the unknown enchantment. From the way he was smirking though, it didn't seem like it. His hands continued to stroke her skin lazily, as though this was just a casual conversation rather than a life-altering realization. Klaus was much more powerful than she'd thought.
Much more dangerous than she'd thought.
He must have been able to see the fear on her face, because he pulled back slightly, his expression softer than she'd ever seen it with none of the normal harshness in his gaze, reaching to rub the knuckles under this thumb to soothe her, her fingertips still curled into the mattress. "I can," he said, his tone soft. Smooth. "But not to worry, love. I'd never hurt you. I promise."
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She shouldn't be turned on by the knowledge that Klaus could likely overpower her whenever he wanted, that with a simple wave of his hand he could destroy everything around her and leave her helpless, but instead he was kneeling between her thighs, the shine of some of her lingering arousal still clinging to his chin, looking at her like she was a goddess.
She knew it was probably stupid, but she believed him.
She took a shaky breath, sitting up against the pillows, her body beginning to calm down from the intense high he'd brought her to. "Okay," she whispered.
"I promise," he repeated, his tone firm and confident. "Now, may I?"
"You may," she said, watching as he bent down again, running the flat of his tongue around her entrance before swirling it around her clit, groaning softly, his hands squeezing the cheeks of her ass lightly, nails digging into the flesh, sending a spark of pleasure straight to her center. She could feel him building her up more quickly than she'd expected, and grumpily reflected that he really did seem to know what he was doing as she felt the telltale tense of her thighs, the pressure growing in her lower belly as her back arched again.
She came hard, her thighs quivering as she rolled her hips against his face, desperate for him to prolong her release. He continued to press the tip of his tongue inside of her as she rode out her high, watching her every movement with dark eyes. When she finally stilled, breathing hard, he crawled up to press his lips against hers, his tongue thrusting between her lips so that she'd taste herself.
Why did he have to be such a good kisser? Why did the world hate her this much? Or love her?
To be determined.
"Good, sweetheart?" he asked, sitting up with a smirk.
She nodded, her breathing still labored, though she bit her lip when she saw the want in his face, her eyes wandering down his body to see the bulge in his trousers.
He noticed where her gaze had gone, and he reached down to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "Now, Caroline, I believe we had a deal?"
She nodded hesitantly. Truthfully, since she'd thought it was impossible for him to win, she hadn't thought about the consequences of losing. She flushed, biting her lip. She suspected that if she didn't want to, then Klaus wouldn't press, though he might tease her for trying to trick him. But a part of her wanted to, wanted to watch Klaus fall apart for her. Truthfully, knowing that she was playing with fire made it even hotter.
"We did," she agreed, her voice still thick with arousal. "How do you want me?"
His eyes lit up, his smirk widening into a predatory smile. "I get to choose?" he teased.
"Within reason," Caroline said, not wanting him to get too crazy.
"What have you done before?"
She shrugged, sitting up against the headboard. "Tyler liked me on my knees," she said, fighting down the smile at the pure jealousy that flashed over Klaus's face, egging her on. "Matt liked to have me on my back while he fucked my mouth. Sometimes I even let him tie me up. For someone who looks so wholesome he liked a lot of stuff that involved creativity."
Klaus made a sound that sounded more close to an animal than a human, and Caroline raised a taunting eyebrow. "What? You asked."
"I did," he said quietly, his tone low and dangerous. "And did you like it?"
"Yes," she said, looking him straight in the eye, refusing to budge.
"And which did you prefer?" he asked softly, moving towards her. "I'll let you choose, shall I? Would you rather be kneeling at my feet while I pull your hair and fuck your mouth? Or you can lie on your back for me, your pretty lips wrapped around me while I pin your wrists. Your choice, sweetheart."
She kind of regretted baiting him now. The pictures he painted with his words sounded hot but would require her to put some trust in him.
"Or," he continued, smirking. "You could go back on our deal, I suppose. If you're the type to break your word. You were the type to cheat, after all."
She gritted her teeth. He knew that challenging her, baiting her, would get him what he wanted. Ugh, how did he already know her so well?
She weighed her options. She had no idea how long he tended to last, and the floor was hardwood, so it would make her knees hurt even with a cushioning charm. She could put a pillow underneath too, but it probably wouldn't help much. The bed gave her less room to maneuver, and it would give Klaus more control over her movement. If he wanted to draw it out, he could. Still though, it would probably be more comfortable. "Here," she said, sinking back down onto the pillows, propping her head up slightly and getting more comfortable. "But no tying me up. We're not at that point in our relationship yet."
His eyes lit up, his lips twisting into a smirk. "Yet?"
"You weren't exactly unclear about your feelings on monogamy," she pointed out, watching with greedy eyes as he began to unbutton his dress shirt, pouting when he stopped after only a few buttons and shifted forward, unbuckling his belt as he moved.
"True," he said. "I want to be the only one who sees you like this. Desperate and flushed. Wanting."
He tugged the belt out of the loops and tossed it aside, unbuttoning and unzipping the trousers. She watched him pull out his cock, stroking it a few times, letting his pants fall just enough to give her room. "Seriously? You're not even going to strip for me?" she asked, only half-teasing.
His lips twitched. "Unfortunately, I'm in a bit of a hurry, sweetheart."
"A hurry?"
"I forgot my wallet. True, I don't need it for much just to attend a party, but I did need a business card or two, so I came to retrieve it."
She raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? You're putting aside an important potential client for me to give you head? Are you insane?"
"How could I resist such a pretty distraction?" he teased.
"You do your job!" she said, shooting him an exasperated look. "That's the entire reason I married you."
His expression darkened for just a moment before it cleared, and she regretted what she'd said, missed the softer, teasing look he'd worn before. It still held affection, but it was different, somehow. Dangerous, but in a way that made her heart pound in anticipation rather than fear.
"Best be quick then, sweetheart."
He moved forward, raising an eyebrow at her until she took the hint, opening her mouth for him. She pulled out every trick she had to make him come fast, staring straight into his eyes and moaning around his cock as she sucked him, bobbing her head up and down his length and swirling her tongue around the head. She pulled back to give the head of his cock and open-mouthed kiss before flicking her tongue against the tip of him, watching with satisfaction as the cords of his neck grew tight, his eyes closing.
She moved forward so that he'd hit the back of her throat as his hips moved, attempting to reach to stroke the base of him with her hand, but Klaus quickly pinned her wrists down on either side of her head. His eyes flew open at the sound of her gag around him, and when he looked down at her she could have sworn that they flashed gold for just a moment before he spilled down her throat.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when he pulled away, rolling off of her. "Like that, love?"
"Yeah," she admitted grudgingly, kind of annoyed at how much she had.
"We should talk tomorrow, then."
"About what?"
"As I've said, I'll never expect anything of you," he began. She tried not to snort. She was pretty sure he did, even if it was the expectation that she'd eventually give into his charms. "But I think I've made my expectations on monogamy clear, and you've agreed to them."
"Uh-huh."
"I wouldn't say no, if you are amenable, to working out some of the inevitable tension..." He trailed off, his eyebrows raised.
She was pretty sure she knew what he meant, but Bill Forbes hadn't raised a daughter who didn't read the contract all the way through.
"Clarifying question," she began, frowning when Klaus laughed. Her lips pressed together and she frowned. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"I'm not laughing at you, love. You're just charming," he said, grinning at her unimpressed look.
"That might work with everyone who doesn't know you, but I'm not falling for your compliments," she warned before remembering what they'd been talking about and re-centering herself. "But you want to like, have casual sex, or whatever? With me?"
"I would hardly call it casual. We're married, after all. But yes, if you're willing to do that, then I'd like to."
"Okay," she said slowly, sitting up against the headboard, acutely aware of how his eyes drifted to her nipples pebbled against the thin fabric of her shirt when she did so. "Okay. I'm good with that."
If he was offering her an alternative to celibacy, she was here for it. They were presumably going to be together for the rest of their lives. She couldn't imagine a divorce would go well for their image, especially with the whole heirs thing.
"Good," he said with a grin before he slipped out of bed. He buttoned up his clothes again, waving a hand impatiently when he left the bed to repress the cloth even though they were already on his body as she watched, slack jawed.
"That's insane that you can do that," she said, watching him summon his briefcase and wand just by reaching out, and his wallet fell out of the jeans he'd been wearing earlier that day for him to catch. "Why haven't you been doing that?"
"I didn't want to scare you," he said quietly, glancing at her to see her reaction.
"And so you thought sex was the appropriate time for me to find out that you can do wandless magic?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I wouldn't say appropriate," he allowed. "But you didn't seem to mind after the first few moments of shock."
It was annoying that he knew that.
"I guess."
"I'll be home late. Don't wait up, all right?"
"Okay," she said, half expecting him to bend to kiss her.
He didn't, just nodding at her. She tried not to be too disappointed. After all, their relationship was fake, wasn't it? Casual sex was one thing, but kissing goodbye? Unnecessary.
And then he turned on his heel and disapparated.
Through the state-of-the-art very expensive apparition wards.
In. The. Middle. Of. Their. Bedroom.
God, now that she knew the extent of his power he was going to be insufferable, wasn't he?
XXX
"You're sleeping with him?" Bonnie demanded, her eyebrows raised. Her head was floating in the fire, flames licking her ears as she sent Caroline an exasperated glance. "I thought you weren't?"
"That was two months ago and this is today," Caroline said defensively. "Look, I know that he's been weird about monogamy and stuff, but it turns out he's pretty freaking good at sex. And he makes me feel like..."
"Like?" Bonnie prompted, still looking unconvinced.
"Like I'm the only one he wants. The only one he'll ever want."
"That's great. I'm glad he makes you feel cherished," Bonnie said patiently. "That doesn't change the fact that he's an emotionless murderer."
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I convinced you he was a murderer, remember?"
"Yeah. I recall that, but it seems like you forgot."
"Look, I do illegal stuff all the time. I've ordered more than a few hits and unless everyone who works for me suddenly becomes competent I'm sure I'll order more. The point is, he's really good at sex. Okay? Like, really good. I'd be missing out if I stopped. And I know he won't cheat on me."
"You can never know that."
Caroline sighed, glancing around again before lowering her voice, practically hissing the words when she leaned close to the fireplace. "He's a wolf."
"Like, in bed you mean? What does that even mean?"
"No. Like, he's a werewolf."
Bonnie's eyes went wide, her lips parting. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. Like, dead as Dumbledore, serious."
"Oh my god," Bonnie breathed, shaking her head. "I...Caroline, that's dangerous."
"It's not like he's home when he transforms," Caroline reassured her, somehow feeling protective of Klaus, despite him being the worst person ever. "Don't be lycanthropist, Bonnie."
"Is that even a word?"
"It is now."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, her head disappearing for a brief moment as though she'd dropped it back before she looked up again, running her hand through her hair, letting out a sharp breath. "So, what does that mean for you, then?"
"He's kind of possessive. Really into monogamy. I flirted with a potential contact at the first party we went to together and his anger was like, equivalent to someone who got stabbed in the back for the crown, or something."
"Caroline, that's a huge red flag."
"I mean, he's basically a walking red flag," Caroline pointed out. "You literally just reminded me that he's a murderer."
"Right. I mean, yeah..." Bonnie said, trailing off.
"It's not that bad, Bon."
"Do you do anything else?"
"Like, other than sex?"
"Yes."
"No. It's basically the foundation of our relationship so far, all I can give you is the dirty details, but if you really want to know...?"
Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "That good, huh?"
"Oh, yeah," Caroline said, not bothering to fight down her smile. "Really good."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Caroline said, nodding and trying not to blush. "I'll be fine, Bon. I promise. Just be ready for my ranting, if that's okay."
"Always!" Bonnie said quickly, shooting Caroline a small smile. "You know I'd never let you go through this alone."
"Thanks. I promise I'll let you know how everything's going enough that you'll get sick of hearing about it."
Bonnie swallowed, badly covering her clear concern. "Good. I want you to let me know. I was worried."
"Bonnie Bennett, you know I couldn't keep things from you if I tried. I promise everything will be okay."
For all of her enthusiasm, Caroline dearly hoped she was telling the truth.
XXX
"You're comfy," Caroline said slowly, her compliment turning into a yawn as she curled on her side, her cheek pressed against his chest. "I know we're doing like, a no-strings-attached marriage, but-"
"Caroline, sweetheart. I don't think there's such a thing as a no-strings-attached marriage," Klaus said. She didn't look at him, but she'd bet a million galleons he was smirking.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" she complained, pressing on before he could tell her that it was probably because it was true. "The point is, I know we're doing the whole 'no feelings' thing, but I wouldn't mind cuddling more, since you're making me share a bed and everything."
"I'm not making you do anything," he pointed out. "You could have said no, love."
She tried not to pout, twisting around to look at him with her best glare. "Yeah, but everyone needed to think we're in it for the long haul so that you can have authority over stuff for the business."
"Aren't we?"
"Aren't we what?"
"In it for the long haul?" he asked, his fingers fiddling with the hem of her slip. "I certainly thought we were."
"I mean, yeah. That's the point. We make sure that everyone knows that you're a Forbes-"
"Don't you mean that you're a Mikaelson?" he asked, the smugness practically dripping from his tone.
"That we're together," she amended, not wanting to concede the point. "And once we have kids it'll be even easier-"
She felt Klaus still beside her for a moment, his fingers pausing their light brushes against her thigh. "Children?"
Caroline frowned. "You do realize that we need an heir, right? Probably a spare, too?"
From the look on his face it was clear that he hadn't realized it, though he managed to blank his reaction quickly, stroking her spine with one hand, the other twirling her blonde curls between his fingers. She stayed silent as he processed, realizing that she'd just dropped a massive bomb on him, one she probably should have been more clear about before the wedding.
Why did he think they needed to get married if it wasn't about children? Some rom-com 'if you're not wedded I'll take you out of the will' bullshit?
She liked a good muggle film as much as the next person, okay?
"I'm a born wolf," Klaus said, looking at her warily. "Children of mine may have the gene."
"I know," Caroline said. "I don't think it'll be a problem. We can make sure they have access to wolfsbane, and I'm sure Hogwarts will still take them, especially with a generous donation."
"You're sure?"
"I would literally rather pop out ten fully formed werewolf babies Stuart Little style than let the company go to Camille."
Klaus laughed quietly. "Is she that bad?"
"Worse," Caroline muttered. "You met her at the wedding, remember? And I'm pretty sure Damon is literally Satan."
He hummed, his fingers stroking the soft skin of her hip just under the lace hem of her slip, clearly deep in thought. She let him think about it, leaning back to rest her head on the pillow, watching him as he processed.
"I thought you knew," Caroline said quietly, her heart jumping to her throat. "I'm sorry, I guess we should have talked about it."
"Do you want them? Children?"
She shrugged. "I mean, I never thought I'd be able to not have them. I guess I never really thought about it," she said, watching him carefully. "Do you? Want kids, I mean?"
He swallowed. "Honestly, love? Not particularly."
She couldn't say she hadn't expected that. "Sorry?" she offered, half-wondering whether he'd apparate out on the spot. His arms tightened around her though, pulling her firmly against his chest as though he didn't want her to leave. She felt his hand move to settle on the curve of her hip thumb tracing the line of her hipbone.
"I'm not," he murmured.
"You aren't?"
He hummed, squeezing her hip lightly. "You have an early meeting tomorrow, love. Don't you?"
"Is that a hint?" she asked, knowing full well it was.
"We have time to talk more about it, love."
She gave him a suspicious glance but nodded slowly, relaxing back against the pillows. "But we'll talk about it more, obviously. Since we have to do it."
"Of course," he said, reaching to tuck a curl behind her ear. "Sleep, sweetheart."
XXX
Klaus had been turning the idea over and over in his head for hours as Caroline slept beside him, her leg wedged between his, face pressed against his chest, her breathing even. Children. He supposed he should have expected it. Caroline's family business was passed down the bloodline, after all. Still, he'd never wanted children, and it didn't sound like Caroline was all that enthusiastic about it either. He knew what it was like to grow up unloved without knowing what you did wrong to deserve your caretakers' ire, and if he had a child, he certainly didn't want it to grow up feeling that way.
He'd been waiting for Caroline for years, though. He'd spent countless days making one contingency plan after another to ensure that she wouldn't leave him, and he could not deny that a child would be a useful tool to keep her close. Still, perhaps it would be better to find a solution that wasn't as...time-consuming as raising a child would be.
Having children would require having sex, of course, and he'd worked hard through the initial parts of their relationship through the honeymoon to reel her in, to make her feel comfortable and entice her to touch him. When he'd finally succeeded in convincing her to give into her craving for him the week before, he'd known the first barrier was broken. Now he had to ensure that she gave him her heart as well as her body. She'd been responding well to his attentions, slowly warming to him to the point where when he complimented her, her cheeks would pink and her lips would curl in a soft smile that she clearly hoped he wouldn't see. He'd have to harness that, have to build on it. That would be hard to do when she was spending all this time holding herself back, but her wishes to try to have children would change things, as abhorrent as he found the idea.
He was possessive of her, wanted to claim her, and he knew that wolves often felt satisfaction from seeing their chosen mates swollen with their seed, tied to them irrevocably. When he pictured Caroline pregnant with his child, he did feel a twinge of it, but it was overshadowed by his reluctance to become a father.
No, he wanted to tie her to him out of choice. He wanted her to dig her nails into him because she felt as strongly for him as he did for her. To give herself to him.
Once he found the instructions for his pet project, the problem would be solved. With the gift of immortality, neither he nor Caroline would need to worry about something as silly as heirs. The real question was whether to tell Caroline. Or, rather, when to tell Caroline. It's not as though he could make a horcrux for her without her knowing about it.
That much he knew even without the instructions for the ritual.
Perhaps he'd put it off as long as possible. Once he made his, surely she wouldn't turn down one of her own, would she? She wouldn't be thrilled that he'd made one without asking, but ultimately he was doing it for them. For her.
She'd see that, he was sure.
Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know if you have any favorite lines or parts. How was the smut? The conversation about kids? Any comments? Concrit? Please let me know what you think! Hopefully I'll see you guys with the next part on Tuesday.
