Day Twenty-Seven, Morning
"Hermione." A hazy voice in an equally hazy dream.
I manage to swim my way up from sleep, and open my eyes to find Malfoy's face inches from mine. As I blink blearily at him, he grins broadly. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
"What the hell do you want?" I weakly push Malfoy away from me. Having the great fortune of a pillow, I pull it over my face to block out the sunlight streaming into the shelter.
"There are many things I want." The sound of his voice is muffled because of my pillow, but there's no mistaking the caressing hand on my thigh. I grab my pillow with both hands and push it up and away from my face, right into Malfoy's. He topples backward and lands with a subdued "oof."
I glance around the shelter -- everyone else is already awake and about on their chores, apparently. We are the only ones still inside. As Malfoy starts to use his elbows as leverage to rise, I pounce on top of him. Holding my pillow against his chest and straddling him, I lean my face down close to his.
"You can't always get what you want, Malfoy. Haven't you heard?" I smile sweetly down at him. "Now give me a good reason why I shouldn't put this pillow over your face and improve both of our lives."
"You could never hurt me. I still have so much information that you want." Malfoy stretches his arms out and joins his hands casually behind his head. "Though you could just stay there for as long as you like."
I snort in irritation and get up, then toss my pillow down onto Malfoy's face. Stretching, I wander out of the shelter onto our beach, only to find it deserted. Malfoy quickly joins me.
"Everyone's out already. Look, there's Kiki and Chet out fishing." He points out at the distant boat on the shimmering water of the lagoon. "Ellen and Carla are on a coconut run, and I told them I'd wake you up so we could go get water." He grabs both water jugs and starts into the jungle, then stops and looks back at me. With a sigh, I follow him.
Down at our water source, Malfoy drops the jugs on the shore and wades in. Still feeling sluggish from sleep, I follow and head for the waterfall. Dunking my head under the cool water, I feel somewhat refreshed. Malfoy swims over and stands next to me in the falling water. Before I know it, he grabs me and sweeps me up into his arms. I struggle, but there's really nowhere to go when you're being held suspended in water. Malfoy bends his head slowly toward mine.
The moment feels frozen. Oh God, he's going to kiss me.
Then the moment passes. Wow, he has terrible aim.
Malfoy turns his head and brings his lips down to my ear. With his mouth so close, I can hear him whisper over the rushing sounds of the waterfall. "None of the sound equipment can hear us. We still have some things to talk about. Both game-related and otherwise."
The only way I can whisper back is to lock my arms around his neck and bring his head down closer, which I do. "You still owe me from last night."
A chuckle in my ear. "Owe you information, or do you want to finish what we started?" I'm glad he can't see my face, because right now I can feel my cheeks flushing hotly.
"Information, of course." Another warm, soft laugh in my ear, and I feel like my spine has turned to jelly. "I... ah... still want to know what you've been up to for the last few years. What you did during the war."
"Of course you want to know."
"And I'm sure you want to know what I was doing, too."
"Hmm." He gently nuzzles my ear with the soft tip of his nose. "Maybe I already know."
I'm getting hot and frustrated. And likewise, I'm getting hot and frustrated. Malfoy is amazingly adept at both avoiding my questions and arousing me. Underwater, his fingers are lightly trailing along my back and legs where he's holding me, and his breath against my ear is an erotic tickle.
I bury my fingers in his hair and pull his head closer. I put my own lips against his ear. "Well, if you're not going to share about life, we may as well work on playing the game, yes?" I dart my tongue out and lightly trace the shell of his ear. His arms tighten around me in surprise.
"Which game do you mean?" His whisper is suddenly breathy, with a shudder to it.
"Whichever one you're playing."
"I'm not sure you're up to playing the game I want to play." He lifts his head away from me and gazes at me with his inscrutable silver eyes. With his mesmerizing gaze holding mine, and his warm, strong arms around me, I feel like I could float in this pool forever. His eyes crinkle, and I see that his mouth is turning up in that famous Malfoy smirk.
Game on.
"I think you'll find I can play games as good as any Malfoy." Before my comments can even sink in, I pull his head down to mine and press my lips to his. I feel his quick gasp of shock in my mouth, then he quickly tries to take control of the kiss. His soft lips and darting tongue are incredible. It would be easy to put the game aside, both the game of surviving and the teasing game between us, and just get lost in Malfoy's amazing kiss. I let my tongue slide along his lower lip, then grab it lightly in my teeth. Malfoy's hands are mindlessly roaming along my body, his grip loosening. I return to the kiss, our mouths greedily meeting, each attempting to dominate the other. And then, sensing my chance, I break the kiss and push away from Malfoy, loosing myself from his grasp. My feet find the rocky bottom of the pool, and I quickly move so that there's a couple of feet of space between us.
Malfoy seems a bit short of breath. His silver eyes meet mine, hooded and dark with passion. He licks his lips.
"Good move." He suddenly drops down, submerging completely underwater. I can see his golden form in the clear water, swimming toward shore. He leaves the pool and grabs one of the water jugs, slowly filling it. I make my way over to the shore and grab my own jug, kneeling down near Malfoy to fill it.
Suddenly I'm shoved over onto my back, my water jug knocked out of my hands. Malfoy is leaning over me, his face once again inches from mine. But this time he's holding my legs down with one of his, and holding a flat hand against my stomach.
"Good move, but I find that opening moves in any game are merely a prelude." He runs his lips along my cheek as his fingers caress my belly. "The best moves happen much later. But time is growing short, and we really need to discuss an entirely different game." He rises from me and returns to calmly filling his water jug. "Pete wants me gone."
"Doesn't matter."
"You're in an alliance with him."
I look over at him, startled. "How do you know that?"
"Doesn't matter."
I sigh with exasperation. "Well then, you probably also know that my only real alliance is with Kiki. And we've also told Ellen that we will possibly have an all-woman alliance. Pete isn't going to make it to the finals."
"That's a stupid move," he mutters. I look at him, to find him calmly capping his water jug. "Think about it -- everyone likes both you and Kiki. That would be a tough decision for the jury. But if you take someone like Pete to the final two, someone everybody hates, your chance of winning would be so much better."
I think about his advice for a minute in silence. He's absolutely right.
"Why do you sound like you're trying to help me?"
"Because former tribal alliances are strong, and it looks like my side is the one that's going to lose. And if I can't win that money, then you're definitely the one it should go to."
I open my mouth, close it, open it, close it. I can't think of what to say to this.
"Come on, Hermione. We should get back. Pete and Sheryl should be back by now, and I bet it's about time to head for the challenge." Malfoy gets up and turns to head toward camp.
"Draco." I reach out my hand and touch his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He slowly turns to me. "I... um..." I search his eyes, and find no malice or spite there. "I don't want you to leave this game."
He stares at me for a moment. "What do you propose?"
"I'm already in a couple of alliances. What's one more?" A grin slowly spreads across his face. He takes my hand from his shoulder and brings it to his lips, gently kissing the back in a strangely gallant fashion.
"Deal." He grabs both full water jugs and uses a spell to make them light. He makes quick eye contact with me, then lowers his voice to a husky whisper. "I look forward to seeing the end."
As he walks back to camp ahead of me, I pause for a moment, wondering where I'd heard those familiar words before.
"Hermione." A hazy voice in an equally hazy dream.
I manage to swim my way up from sleep, and open my eyes to find Malfoy's face inches from mine. As I blink blearily at him, he grins broadly. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
"What the hell do you want?" I weakly push Malfoy away from me. Having the great fortune of a pillow, I pull it over my face to block out the sunlight streaming into the shelter.
"There are many things I want." The sound of his voice is muffled because of my pillow, but there's no mistaking the caressing hand on my thigh. I grab my pillow with both hands and push it up and away from my face, right into Malfoy's. He topples backward and lands with a subdued "oof."
I glance around the shelter -- everyone else is already awake and about on their chores, apparently. We are the only ones still inside. As Malfoy starts to use his elbows as leverage to rise, I pounce on top of him. Holding my pillow against his chest and straddling him, I lean my face down close to his.
"You can't always get what you want, Malfoy. Haven't you heard?" I smile sweetly down at him. "Now give me a good reason why I shouldn't put this pillow over your face and improve both of our lives."
"You could never hurt me. I still have so much information that you want." Malfoy stretches his arms out and joins his hands casually behind his head. "Though you could just stay there for as long as you like."
I snort in irritation and get up, then toss my pillow down onto Malfoy's face. Stretching, I wander out of the shelter onto our beach, only to find it deserted. Malfoy quickly joins me.
"Everyone's out already. Look, there's Kiki and Chet out fishing." He points out at the distant boat on the shimmering water of the lagoon. "Ellen and Carla are on a coconut run, and I told them I'd wake you up so we could go get water." He grabs both water jugs and starts into the jungle, then stops and looks back at me. With a sigh, I follow him.
Down at our water source, Malfoy drops the jugs on the shore and wades in. Still feeling sluggish from sleep, I follow and head for the waterfall. Dunking my head under the cool water, I feel somewhat refreshed. Malfoy swims over and stands next to me in the falling water. Before I know it, he grabs me and sweeps me up into his arms. I struggle, but there's really nowhere to go when you're being held suspended in water. Malfoy bends his head slowly toward mine.
The moment feels frozen. Oh God, he's going to kiss me.
Then the moment passes. Wow, he has terrible aim.
Malfoy turns his head and brings his lips down to my ear. With his mouth so close, I can hear him whisper over the rushing sounds of the waterfall. "None of the sound equipment can hear us. We still have some things to talk about. Both game-related and otherwise."
The only way I can whisper back is to lock my arms around his neck and bring his head down closer, which I do. "You still owe me from last night."
A chuckle in my ear. "Owe you information, or do you want to finish what we started?" I'm glad he can't see my face, because right now I can feel my cheeks flushing hotly.
"Information, of course." Another warm, soft laugh in my ear, and I feel like my spine has turned to jelly. "I... ah... still want to know what you've been up to for the last few years. What you did during the war."
"Of course you want to know."
"And I'm sure you want to know what I was doing, too."
"Hmm." He gently nuzzles my ear with the soft tip of his nose. "Maybe I already know."
I'm getting hot and frustrated. And likewise, I'm getting hot and frustrated. Malfoy is amazingly adept at both avoiding my questions and arousing me. Underwater, his fingers are lightly trailing along my back and legs where he's holding me, and his breath against my ear is an erotic tickle.
I bury my fingers in his hair and pull his head closer. I put my own lips against his ear. "Well, if you're not going to share about life, we may as well work on playing the game, yes?" I dart my tongue out and lightly trace the shell of his ear. His arms tighten around me in surprise.
"Which game do you mean?" His whisper is suddenly breathy, with a shudder to it.
"Whichever one you're playing."
"I'm not sure you're up to playing the game I want to play." He lifts his head away from me and gazes at me with his inscrutable silver eyes. With his mesmerizing gaze holding mine, and his warm, strong arms around me, I feel like I could float in this pool forever. His eyes crinkle, and I see that his mouth is turning up in that famous Malfoy smirk.
Game on.
"I think you'll find I can play games as good as any Malfoy." Before my comments can even sink in, I pull his head down to mine and press my lips to his. I feel his quick gasp of shock in my mouth, then he quickly tries to take control of the kiss. His soft lips and darting tongue are incredible. It would be easy to put the game aside, both the game of surviving and the teasing game between us, and just get lost in Malfoy's amazing kiss. I let my tongue slide along his lower lip, then grab it lightly in my teeth. Malfoy's hands are mindlessly roaming along my body, his grip loosening. I return to the kiss, our mouths greedily meeting, each attempting to dominate the other. And then, sensing my chance, I break the kiss and push away from Malfoy, loosing myself from his grasp. My feet find the rocky bottom of the pool, and I quickly move so that there's a couple of feet of space between us.
Malfoy seems a bit short of breath. His silver eyes meet mine, hooded and dark with passion. He licks his lips.
"Good move." He suddenly drops down, submerging completely underwater. I can see his golden form in the clear water, swimming toward shore. He leaves the pool and grabs one of the water jugs, slowly filling it. I make my way over to the shore and grab my own jug, kneeling down near Malfoy to fill it.
Suddenly I'm shoved over onto my back, my water jug knocked out of my hands. Malfoy is leaning over me, his face once again inches from mine. But this time he's holding my legs down with one of his, and holding a flat hand against my stomach.
"Good move, but I find that opening moves in any game are merely a prelude." He runs his lips along my cheek as his fingers caress my belly. "The best moves happen much later. But time is growing short, and we really need to discuss an entirely different game." He rises from me and returns to calmly filling his water jug. "Pete wants me gone."
"Doesn't matter."
"You're in an alliance with him."
I look over at him, startled. "How do you know that?"
"Doesn't matter."
I sigh with exasperation. "Well then, you probably also know that my only real alliance is with Kiki. And we've also told Ellen that we will possibly have an all-woman alliance. Pete isn't going to make it to the finals."
"That's a stupid move," he mutters. I look at him, to find him calmly capping his water jug. "Think about it -- everyone likes both you and Kiki. That would be a tough decision for the jury. But if you take someone like Pete to the final two, someone everybody hates, your chance of winning would be so much better."
I think about his advice for a minute in silence. He's absolutely right.
"Why do you sound like you're trying to help me?"
"Because former tribal alliances are strong, and it looks like my side is the one that's going to lose. And if I can't win that money, then you're definitely the one it should go to."
I open my mouth, close it, open it, close it. I can't think of what to say to this.
"Come on, Hermione. We should get back. Pete and Sheryl should be back by now, and I bet it's about time to head for the challenge." Malfoy gets up and turns to head toward camp.
"Draco." I reach out my hand and touch his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He slowly turns to me. "I... um..." I search his eyes, and find no malice or spite there. "I don't want you to leave this game."
He stares at me for a moment. "What do you propose?"
"I'm already in a couple of alliances. What's one more?" A grin slowly spreads across his face. He takes my hand from his shoulder and brings it to his lips, gently kissing the back in a strangely gallant fashion.
"Deal." He grabs both full water jugs and uses a spell to make them light. He makes quick eye contact with me, then lowers his voice to a husky whisper. "I look forward to seeing the end."
As he walks back to camp ahead of me, I pause for a moment, wondering where I'd heard those familiar words before.