Draco smirked satisfactorily to himself, as she took her place next to him. "I don't know. How about salmon?" He asked, knowing full well it was her favorite.
"Mmmmm..." she groaned, catching him unaware and sending a shiver down his spine. "You read my mind. What are you thinking for sauce?" She questioned, her quill hovering over the parchment, into which the word SALMON was slowly fading. "Lemon dill butter or maybe honey bourbon glaze?"
"Well, I'm allergic to dill, so my vote is honey bourbon glaze." He quipped, smiling charmingly at her, an expression he anticipated she would return, however her face was frozen in a look of bewilderment. "Hermione..." Draco's joviality was replaced with concern. "Is everything okay?"
She shook her head and forced a weak grin, realizing he must think something upset her. "No. I mean yes. Everything is okay. Its just that I've only ever known one other person who was allergic to dill. The memory of him just caught me off guard."
Draco, of course, knew to whom she was referring, as it was the Blake half of himself, however, he was careful to seem as surprised as possible. After all, being allergic to dill isn't exactly a common issue. "Really?" He voice conveyed genuine curiosity. "That's interesting. In all my life, I've never run across a single other person who shares that allergy." He nudged her playfully with his elbow as he added, "And here I thought I was one-of-a-kind."
She chuckled at his self-deprecating joke, and writing the list of ingredients, including brown rice and green beans for sides. "Oh you're one-of-a-kind alright," she retorted, rolling her eyes, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "But seriously, Mr. Unique... Salmon or sides?" She asked, motioning toward the food that just appeared in front of them.
"Salmon." He answered confidently.
She raised an eyebrow as she handed the fish to him. "Okay, but be warned... I'm very picky about how I like my salmon. It better not get overdone."
"Don't worry, Granger." Draco's voice was sultry and suggestive. "I've got this." He flipped the gas burner closest to him on low and Hermione was overtaken by its heat.
At that moment, she realized her uniform long-sleeves, tie and jumper were going to be far too much clothing for standing in a hot kitchen. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I..." She didn't know how to explain to Draco that she needed to take some clothes off. She stared at him speechless, before quickly blurting, "I...I'll be right back," and running upstairs to her bedroom.
She rested against the closed door trying to regain her composure. "What is it about him that makes me so out of sorts all the time? Come on, Hermione... You know exactly what it is! He's an attractive man, who you now know is equally attractive on the inside. There's no denying it. You're falling for him." She leaned her head back into the door frame, as she acquiesced to the fact that she was in fact falling for Draco Malfoy.
"Well, that was strange." Draco mused to himself. "But it's one of the things I love about her the most. She never ceases to catch me off guard."
When she emerged from her room in a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes t-shirt rather than her uniform, he understood the meaning of her sudden departure.
"Sorry about that." She blushed, as she descended the stairs. "It was just too warm for all those layers."
"Agreed," he responded, gesturing to his own tie and jumper flung across the back of the nearest barstool.
Only then did Hermione notice he had not only removed his tie and jumper, but he'd also rolled up his sleeves, and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. She barely managed to conceal the involuntary whimper that escaped her lips, at the sight of his perfectly chiseled chest, as her clearing her throat. She stared at the rice and beans in front of her, completely unfocused, and scolded herself. "Pull yourself together, Hermione. It's just rice and green beans, you could cook this in your sleep. Don't let on that he is getting to you." A quick nod of her head to agree with herself and she was ready to tackle the side dishes.
The rice would take longer to cook, so she quickly got it into a pot with some water. Then, she flipped the burner next to her on, and placed a cast iron skillet atop the flame. When the pan was hot, she dropped two slices of chopped bacon into it, and began cleaning the green beans. The smells coming from the two pans, her bacon and Draco's salmon made her mouth water. They worked skillfully and silently, side-by-side, arms brushing against each other causing sideways glances and flirtatious grins. She tossed the beans into the pan with the bacon, and removed the rice from the heat. Draco splashed Bourbon straight from the bottle into his pan, resulting in a short-lived, but impressive flame. As he'd hoped, it produced a look of surprise, turned excitement on Hermione's face. One last flick of his wrist and the salmon, sauce and all, turned neatly in the pan before he placed it next to him on the counter.
"Ready whenever you are." He declared, smiling smuggly.
Hermione fluffed the rice and sprinkled it with cinnamon, a trick she learned from her mother, and removed the beans from the heat. She turned to find Draco holding two plates of salmon in front of her. She scooped rice and beans onto each, and joined him on the couch.
Her stomach growled loudly as she took her plate onto her lap. "This looks amazing." She breathed, piercing the salmon with her fork.
"I can only hope it lives up to your expectations." Draco watched intently as she brought the first bite to her mouth.
It had barely crossed her lips when she closed her eyes and moaned in ecstasy, causing Draco's insides to quake. "I think I'm in love." Hermione exhaled, slowly opening her eyes, locking them with Draco's. "This might be the best thing I have ever eaten."
"It's good to know that I didn't let you down." Draco smirked, taking his first bite.
"I could eat this everyday." She snuck in, between bites. "Seriously. I will never again question your skills in the kitchen."
She'd eaten almost half her food, and had begun to slow down, so Draco saw an opportunity to have a bit of fun with her. "Just in the kitchen?" He asked, raising his left eyebrow, his eyes glinting with a mischief Hermione could only assume he usually reserved for the bedroom, causing her to nearly choke on the bite she'd just taken.
But she wasn't going to let him get the best of her that easily. Although she knew it was over a line she wasn't sure she was ready cross, she stared directly into his eyes and with brazen confidence, she responded, "For now." She placed her plate on the coffee table and scooted closer to him until their knees touched, before she added. "At least until you give me a chance to critique you elsewhere."
His mouth went dry. Once again, he had given her a sexual innuendo, hoping to put her on her heels, only to have it turned back on himself tenfold. He was frozen.
"Oh now you've done it, Hermione. You've been here before...just inches from him, filled with desire...and you barely managed to pull away. How many times do you think you can do that? That doesn't matter now. What? Why? Because I don't want to pull away anymore. I want to feel his lips on mine again. I want his hands on me."
With her mind finally made up, she took the plate from his lap, placed it next to hers on the table, and closed the remaining distance between them. Her heart was pounding, but she'd never felt more sure of what she wanted than in that moment. His eyes were pools of anticipation and longing, but they also held a question... ("Are you sure?"), which she answered with a warm smile. He bent down to meet her halfway, and their lips met. It was a delicate, romantic kiss. She wound her arms around his neck, and he ran one hand to the base of her neck and wrapped his other arm tightly around her waist. The kiss deepened, and their tongues tangled with each other hungrily.
After several minutes, Draco pulled back, tilting Hermione's head to stare into her eyes. The 'I Love You' he wanted to say would have felt too soon to her so he settled for, "I've been waiting for that for a long time." He voice was breathy, his breathing shallow and rushed.
She blushed at his admission. "Just how long," she wondered. She ran her hand down his cheek, tracing the curve of his jaw and landing her thumb, which she rubbed back and forth, on his slightly- parted lips. She could tell he was fighting hard to control himself, and she respected his discipline, but she hadn't had quite enough, so she moved toward him once again. He was hesitant at first, unsure if he'd be able to maintain his composure once their lips connected again, but after years of praying for this exact moment, he couldn't deny himself the pleasure any longer, and he melted into her once more. She pressed into him with her body, her arms under his, clutching at his shoulders. He felt his desire growing, they were nearing the point of no return, any longer and he'd be fully hard. He knew it was too soon for that, and thus was relieved when she relaxed in his arms, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.
"Is this really happening?" Hermione asked herself as she snuggled into Draco's chest. "Did I just make out with Draco Malfoy, and now I'm cuddling with him on the couch like its the most natural thing in the world? Merlin, he smells good."
"Hermione?" Draco sounded cautious.
She pulled back just far enough to look him in the eye.
"I meant what I said about waiting for this for a long time, but I know how strange this must be for you. I want you to know that I don't expect anything. What I mean is, I know you just broke up with Ron, and although Harry and I seem to be on good terms, there's no telling how he would react to this. Don't get me wrong. I want to be with you... more than you know, but I understand if its not... if you're not..." His voice trailed off. Hermione could tell he was struggling to put words to the jumble of emotions he was feeling.
She did her best to reassure him. "Draco," her voice was tender and confident. "First, I want you to know, as hard as it is for me to believe, these past few days, being with you, the real you, has made me happier than I've been in years. My friendship with Harry and Ron got me through a lot during my time at Hogwarts, but there's always been a hole inside me neither of them could ever fill. Its a hole left by someone I loved and lost a long time ago, a hole I never thought would be filled. But every moment I spend with you makes me re-think that. Our time together has given me hope, and I'm not willing to trade that for anything."
Her words pierced his heart, and he was unable to keep tears from pooling in his eyes. They were tears of joy, but also tears of sadness knowing that losing Blake had almost broken her. He pulled her back to his chest. "I'll never hurt you, Hermione. As long as you'll have me, I promise I'll do my best to be the man you deserve. But, and I say this with the best of intentions... I think its a good idea if we keep this a secret from Potter at least until he has the chance to accept the 'real' me, as you like to call it."
"Deal," she answered, pulling back once again. "But that might be more difficult than you think."
He looked at her quizzically. "And why might that be?"
She flashed him a sultry smile as she answered, "Because its going to be hard for me keep my distance when all I want to do is be as close to you as possible." With that, she brushed her lips softly against his.
"You think its going to be hard for you?! I've been keeping my distance for seven years! How much harder will it be for me now that I'm with you?" Draco mocked.
"I guess we'll just have to make the most of any and all alone time we get, then." She declared.
"You read my mind." He agreed, pulling her in for one last kiss.
