Thank you to everyone who has written a review. I do appreciate knowing that others are enjoying this story as much as I am.
-2-
House opened one eye carefully and was greeted by a bright, burning light. It was morning. Cuddy was curled up in his arm, her beasts peeking out over the top of the satin sheets they had spent the night fumbling around in. She looked beautiful, but her big head had cut off the circulation to his arm, so House adeptly removed himself from the situation in a move he had learned to master shortly after they moved in together.
Free from his sexy little prison House stretched out and rubbed life back into his dead arm. He really would have liked to slip back under the covers and go to sleep, but he found himself wide awake, staring at the thatched ceiling and thinking about the future.
He shook it off quickly. He wasn't a man who thought about the future. Or perhaps it was that he never really had a future to think about. He looked over at Cuddy. She had dramatically changed his life, and he wasn't sure he would ever forgive her for it. He also knew there was no way he could ever thank her enough.
He brushed a wisp of hair out of her face and kissed her cheek gently before heading for the kitchen. He had worked up quite an appetite since dinner.
House swung open the fridge door and was greeted by the most wonderful image. The fridge was fully stocked with his favorite beer, some great snacks, and a pitcher of what looked like very freshly squeezed orange juice. Considering the sun wasn't completely up yet, he opted for the orange juice instead of the beer.
The remote was sitting on the counter, blinking at him. He picked it up as he carried his juice to the cozy love seat. There was a text message written across the small screen. According to the message, they could either help themselves to anything they found in the well stocked kitchen, or could order something from the main house and it would be brought down to them.
House opted to order out since the other option was him cooking. Cuddy was still fast asleep, and he didn't have the guts to wake her up to cook for him, not on the first full day of their honeymoon. He'd do it later, when they'd settled in a bit.
"Your omelet will be ready in half an hour," Quintessa assured him. Good. That was enough time to go for a dip.
House walked down the beach and into the water. It was warm and inviting. So clear he could see his feet sinking into the sand as he went deeper and deeper into the sea. Finally, he let his knees go weak and sunk into the warm caress of the water.
He enjoyed swimming. It was one of the few activities he could do without thinking about his leg. It was one of the things he could still do to make himself feel strong and virile. Making love to Cuddy was the other.
Some length of time passed before Cuddy woke up. She extended her arm, searching for him. "House?" She mumbled, half asleep. "Where'd you go?" She pulled her head off the pillow. It was heavier than normal. Flying usually knocked her out, but she had a feeling it was the fact that they didn't actually get any sleep until about three in the morning that was having a greater impact.
House was not within earshot, and therefore didn't answer, so she wrapped herself up in the most luxurious satin sheets she'd ever slept on and dragged herself out of bed. She noticed something moving out of the corner of her eye and turned toward the beach.
House was doing the backstroke when she called out to him. "The water is perfect," he replied, though she hadn't really asked. He stopped swimming and turned toward her. He chuckled at her draped form, staring at him from the beach. "Take that thing off and come join me."
"I'm going to make some breakfast." She was starving.
"I already ordered some." House's head was bobbing on the surface of the water like a buoy. "It should be here soon."
"Then maybe you should come and get dressed." She had a feeling he wasn't wearing his swim trunks.
House swam in as far as he could before rising to his feet. Cuddy watched with a smile as his naked form rose out of the turquoise sea, water dripping from his body and glistening in the morning sun. He slowly strode forward, carefully, methodically working out the proper steps to de-emphasis his limp. There was nothing sexy about a limp.
He liked that she was watching him, her eyebrow arched, a small smile on her lips. She liked what she saw, despite all his flaws, she thought he was hot. It was the kind of feeling that bolstered a man's ego, even an aging, crippled man. House tried not to grin too much. It ruined the effect.
She kept her gaze on him as he slowly inched his way across the hot sand, his feet sinking in with each step, leaving a soggy trail in his wake. She didn't budge as he walked up close to her. He could feel her breath hit his wet body. It gave him a chill.
She took a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable kiss. Her heart was pounding so loud with anticipation that it took a moment for her to realize what he was doing as he dropped his head down and started shaking it furiously. She felt the water shooting out from his hair, attacking her from all angles.
"Don't!" She protested. "You're getting me wet!" She ran back a few steps, out of range.
"Now that's what I like to hear." He smiled and chased after her.
Neither of them heard the knock at the door.
"Would you put that thing away," Cuddy tossed a towel at his head. "I'm going to get dressed." She vanished into the huge bathroom/changing room/closet suite.
"It's a waste of time," House called to her, wrapping the towel around his waist.
"What's a waste of time?" A young woman was putting a large silver tray on the counter and looking at him curiously.
House jumped but recovered quickly from his surprise. "Paperwork, sitting in traffic, any movie staring Jack Black…"
"I like Jack Black." The girl smiled at him.
"Of course you do." House sighed and walked over to the table, leaning hard on his cane. He gave the girl the once over as she began to set the table for him. She looked about sixteen maybe seventeen. She had her mother's hourglass figure and long flowing hair. She was wearing a short, flippy little shirt that swished around her thighs when she walked. If he weren't a married man…
"Who are you talking to?" Cuddy came out looking downright demure in her sarong and bikini top. "Oh! Hello?" Cuddy looked at the young woman who was bent over putting forks on the table, then at House whose eyes were making a bee line down the girl's shirt.
"Hello. I am Adrianna." The girl seemed oblivious to House's ogling and came over to shake Cuddy's hand. "I will be helping my mother to get you everything you need. I brought your breakfast."
"I see that." Cuddy felt her stomach rumble a little at the sight of the twin omelets. "But please knock next time." She didn't like the idea of being barged in on.
"I did, ma'am."
"Leave the poor girl alone." House defended her.
"Fine." Cuddy came over and took the napkins from the younger woman. "I can finish this."
Adrianna could take a hint. She gave House a little wave before vanishing back through the door.
"She seems nice." House said, knowing it would get under Cuddy's skin.
"I'm sure she is." Cuddy placed a napkin rather abruptly into his lap.
"And you seem jealous," he teased.
"I'm not jealous!"
"You expect me to believe that?" House knew she was.
"If she wants you, she can have you." Cuddy wasn't looking at him. He was too good at reading her emotions. She couldn't risk proving him right.
"Really?" House perked up.
"What do you think?" Cuddy sat down and started to eat.
"I think…"
"I wasn't asking." It wasn't so much that House was looking that bothered her. The girl was right there, practically spilling into his face. He'd have to be dead not to look. It was the fact that he thought she was jealous that bothered her. She wasn't jealous. She knew she was still hot. Sure, she might not be as young, or as nubile, and maybe not quite as stacked, but she was still hot…wasn't she?
"She's got nothing on you, Cuddy." House's eyes sparkled as he remembered every curve of his wife's body. Late at night, when he couldn't sleep, he would stare at her, memorizing every freckle and blemish, every bruise she didn't know how she'd gotten, the dark hairs on her arm that seemed to grow every which way. There was not a single thing he would change…although…Adrianna did have very nice breasts.
"House?"
"What?" He snapped out of a daydream of an enhanced Cuddy.
"I said thank you." She smiled at him warmly. He really could be a sweetheart sometimes.
"Uh, you're welcome." He was very glad she couldn't read his mind.
After breakfast, House dragged Cuddy down to the water.
"I thought you wanted to look around." She was playing hard to get, just because she could.
"Yeah, I want to explore you, under water." He slid his fingers into the knot of her sarong and pulled it open.
"I don't know, House." She pulled his hands away, but let the sarong fall to the ground. She had paid a lot of money for this swimsuit. She didn't mind flaunting it a bit.
"That's not a 'no'." He pressed up against her, kissing her deeply. It was all she could do to keep her balance, so she wrapped her arms around his waist tightly.
"Not yet, it's not." Cuddy loved being wrapped up in his strong arms.
"You're just afraid I'll out swim you." He knew she couldn't back down from a challenge.
"No," she struggled to fight the urge to prove him wrong. He was trying to manipulate her, she knew that, so she had to stay strong.
"I'll even give you a head start," he said, manipulating a bit more.
"I don't need a head start." It had worked. Without another word, she dove into the water and started swimming away. House called her something she couldn't quite here, and she heard him splash into the water behind her. "To the waterfall," she instructed, making a bee line toward the finish line.
The Oasis, as Quintessa called it, was a long stretch of low land hidden between two mountainous hills. One side, the side they'd entered on, was a slow sloping incline. A long path wound carefully through the trees making the decent seem marginal, though, looking back at it from the Oasis, it proved to be a rather formidable incline.
The other side, the side they were now swimming toward, was much different. No slopping hills covered this expanse of land. Instead it was one long, sharp cliff. There was an unseen lake at the top of the cliff which provided a steady flow of water down the very waterfall they were headed for.
As they grew closer House picked up speed and eased past her with just a few feet left to go. He heard her mumbling a curse under her breath as he went out of his way to kick water into her face.
She watched with annoyed pride as he slipped under the waterfall and out of view. Make no mistake, Cuddy loved winning. She had always been competitive by nature, but seeing House flourish in a physical activity, seeing him active again, like he was when they were younger, always made her happy. So yes, she had lost this race, and would surely be taunted by House because of it, but she felt it was an acceptable loss and would happily loose again if it meant seeing House push himself physically without a thought to his damaged leg.
She took a deep breath and plunged underneath the clear blue water. When she came up again she was on the back side of the waterfall, in a hidden cavern carved out of the forbidding rock ages ago. She could just make out House's form, laying in the dark sand, resting his weight on his elbows and watching for her.
"You took your time," he teased, as she knew he would.
"I was waiting to see if anything attacked you before I went swimming into some dark, mysterious cave." She slowly rose out of the water and walked toward him.
"HA!" He knew she hadn't let him win. Swimming was one of his best sports. He watched her drop down beside him. "Nice place." He glanced around the damp, dark cavern.
"It's dark, and a little cool." She shivered as the cool cavern air brushed her wet skin.
"It's private," House said, accentuating the positive. He had a feeling that Adrianna's sudden appearance in the Villa had made his wife a little sex shy. "We can get away with anything in here." He let his hand slide slowly along her thigh.
"Did you have something in mind?" She smiled, turning her head to face him.
"Still do," he grinned.
"Well, so do I." She wasn't going to just lie around waiting for him to move his lazy ass. She wrapped her leg around him and gently slid her body on top of his.
Straddling her husband, Cuddy slipped her bikini top off with ease. She hadn't tied it tightly, assuming it would be coming off in the very near future, and she was right. She let it fall into the sand beside them as she took House's sand covered hands and placed them gently on her breasts.
The sand felt rough against her delicate skin, but she didn't find it unpleasant at all. The particles of sand rolled around between them adding a whole new dimension to what had become an almost daily ritual.
She brought her face down to his, digging her hands into the sand to hold herself up. Tendrils of wet hair hung down into his face and he had to spit out one rogue strand that was fighting its way into his mouth. "Invest in an elastic," he said, pushing her hair aside and looking into her beautiful blue eyes.
"Shut up and kiss me," she leaned in and he eagerly obliged. Their tongues fought for dominance in their mouths. Cuddy was determined to win, seeing as how House had just won their swimming contest, so she took him by the wrists and pinned his arms over his head. He didn't put up much of a fight. He could see this was going to be a win-win situation for them both.
She kissed the length of his neck, then his chest, her tongue flicking playfully over each nipple. He craned his neck to watch her. He enjoyed watching her, even if all he could really see was the top of her head. He turned his head to the side as her soft lips grazed against his stomach. Their hands were pressed together, fingers intertwine. He could see the glint of her wedding ring in the small bit of sunlight that fought its way through the water.
That small band of platinum wasn't supposed to change anything. He had told himself over and over that it was just an antiquated, meaningless symbol. It wasn't supposed to validate their relationship. At least not in his mind. He knew they didn't need validating.
Still, as he looked at the small but expensive symbol of their love, he couldn't help but feel something. She loved him enough to declare it to the world, to commit to him until death, or a good divorce lawyer do them part. It was a foolish thing to do, really. He wasn't going to be a great husband, or give her all the things she dreamed of, like a family of her own, but she did it anyway. She had decided that he was all she needed. There was no way he couldn't appreciate that fact. He never thought he'd be enough for anyone. Especially not after the Infarction.
That ring represented the fact that she chose him when she could have had anyone. She could have had Damien Wilde, the sexy, fun billionaire, and she still chose him. She could have had Drake Holmsby, the star pitcher, top of his class, old money frat boy back in college, but she'd chosen him, and he'd broken her heart. A mistake he never wanted to make again.
"What are you thinking about?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Nothing." He turned his focus back to her.
"Good. I don't want you distracted." She stood up and slipped the bikini bottoms off. She tossed them at his head.
"Not distracted." He said with the eloquence of a Neanderthal. He focused on her body, outlined by the light coming through the waterfall behind her. It was a Heavenly sight. "You're beautiful."
She smiled. She never got tired of hearing that. "Thank you."
"Aren't you going to tell me I'm beautiful," he teased.
"I'd rather show you," she purred as she pressed down on top of him, kissing his sandy shoulders and chest. Realizing the error in judgment, she sat up and wiped him off before resuming her oral exploration.
"You know, if we keep going at this pace, we'll be sick of each other by the end of the honeymoon." He blatantly lied.
"You'll never get sick of me," she said as she slid against his body.
"Not if you promise to keep doing that!" It was a move she'd not done before. "Where did you…."
"Lo gave me a book," she said cryptically.
"What…kind…of…BOOK!" House spread his legs a bit wider, giving her more room to maneuver.
"Shhh," She pressed her finger to his lips. She could feel his hot breath hitting it in short, heavy bursts. She dug her knees deeper into the sand and leaned back, holding her ankles and bending her body into the most beautiful arc House had ever seen.
He grabbed her waist, sliding his hands gently down her hips. He would have grabbed her backside, but it was pressed against him, and he didn't dare disrupt what she was doing. Instead he satisfied himself by slipping a finger against her moist lips. He could feel himself slipping in and out of her, feel his hair mingling with hers each time she pressed down upon him. He let his fingers dance against her and watched as her face contorted with pleasure.
"Was this in your book?" He asked quickly, before it became too difficult to speak.
"Yes….but…" It was her turn to gasp with pleasure, trying to find enough breath to get out her short words.
"I don't need a book," he informed her as he slipped his finger up toward her clit. He could feel her whole body shudder on top of him. He had discovered the book a while ago. Cuddy kept it hidden in her book case, behind a medical dictionary he had used as a step stool when he hid her ring on top of the book case. He had memorized it, cover to cover. It was a very descriptive book. Not the Kama Sutra, but damned close.
He felt himself explode inside her. He had tried to hold out. He liked driving her wild, but between the physical exhaustion of their swim, and the grittiness of the sand, and the pounding rhythm of the waterfall, he simply didn't have it in him to wait.
But that didn't mean he was done. He was still inside her, throbbing, moving so subtly she couldn't stand it. He was also rubbed her, sometimes fast and hard, then slow and gentle. It was the alternation that really sent a woman into an 'eruption of sex' according to the book. House wanted to see just what this 'eruption of sex' looked like.
She was quivering on top of him now. She could feel the pressure building inside her. His plan was working. She was making noises, short, sharp gasps and grunts. He loved it when she made noise. He knew she didn't like to, so it meant she had lost control. He had caused her to lose control. The power of that was intoxicating.
Suddenly, a hot, sticky liquid came gushing out of her. She cried out.
"YES!" House had done it again. It wasn't easy to get her to ejaculate, but he had done it once, years ago, when she was young and dismissed it as inexperience and he had done it again now. It had embarrassed her then, though he'd assured her it was perfectly natural. He failed to mention that it was a huge boost to a guys ego, if he could unearth the elusive female ejaculation.
"Oh my god!" Cuddy was still feeling the tremors of her eruption. She hadn't felt this amazing in, well, hours really.
"Yes, yes I am." House was practically beaming. This day was going to go in his diary. He was going to start a diary, just so he could make a note of today's accomplishments. His cheeks were already starting to hurt from smiling.
"You're awfully proud of yourself," she said, huffing exhaustedly.
"I am." House did a little victory dance while still on his back. He couldn't be bothered getting up for it, but it had to be done.
Cuddy rolled her eyes.
"Could we do that again?" He wanted to try again, before he forgot what he'd done to open the flood gates.
"Not now." She was truly exhausted. She didn't even think she could stand, and wasn't at all sure how she was going to get back to their little Villa. She might just have to spend the rest of her life lying here naked in his arms, hidden behind a waterfall while the rest of the world went about their business, none the wiser.
"Please?" House really wanted to try again. She got to make him ejaculate constantly. All she had to do was bend over and he could already feel the fluids pumping.
"You're begging?" She mustered up enough strength to prop herself up on one elbow.
"I am. And you know I'm not a begging man." House sat up and clasped his hands together. He made quite a pathetic looking face then said, "pleeeeease? Please, please, please."
She couldn't help but laugh. He looked so adorable. "Just let me rest for a few hours…"
"HOURS?"
"House, I'm exhausted…"
"I'll do all the work." House rolled himself on top of her.
"You know it never happens that way." She pushed him off with some effort.
"So what are we going to do now?" House collapsed beside her.
"Relax? We're on vacation." She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and put her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating and was surprised when the pounding urgency of it lulled her to sleep.
House couldn't sleep. He wanted to climb to the top of the cliff and shout to the world how much he loved her. He hadn't felt this way in years. The first few weeks with Stacy had been like this, almost. But they faded quickly.
He had been so determined for Stacy to be the one. There were things about her that reminded him of Cuddy. Her hair had been longer when they met, and dark like Cuddy's. And she had a quick wit and competitive streak like Cuddy, but it didn't take him long to realize she wasn't Cuddy.
He had convinced himself that he could be happy with Stacy, she was great in bed, she was challenging, she was friends with Cuddy and Wilson. He probably could have been happy with her, but she never would have been satisfied with him. She knew. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him a certain way. She knew he wasn't 100 committed to their relationship. She knew he was in love with someone else. He never asked her if she knew who it was. He didn't want to know he was that obvious.
Cuddy breathed softly against his chest. It amazed him that she never knew. He made up any excuse to be near her. Cameron had been right when she equated him to the little boy who pulled the pigtails of the girl he liked. She had just gotten the wrong girl. He didn't torment Cuddy because he wanted to punish her for the surgery she performed on his leg, though that was definitely part of it. He tormented her because it meant he could spend time with her.
He didn't have to do that anymore, but that didn't mean he would stop. He'd figured out long ago that she liked it. She liked being challenged by him because no one else had the guts to do it. The hospital staff feared her. She was young and powerful and female and most of the stodgy old men who worked for her didn't know how to handle that.
She moaned in her sleep and he wondered if she was dreaming about him. He certainly hoped she was.
House eventually drifted off to sleep. There wasn't much to look at in the cave, and he didn't like where his mind was taking him, so he willed himself to shut down. It was a trick he had learned not long after the Infarction. Before he had managed to get illegal prescriptions to supplement the scant amount she was allowing him.
Cuddy was the first to wake up. She felt refreshed after her long nap. She pulled herself out of his arms and found her bikini scattered on the sandy shore. She rinsed it off before slipping it back on. The light through the waterfall had faded but she had no idea what time that meant it was.
House groaned and turned a little in his sleep. He looked so peaceful that she felt guilty waking him, but they were running out of daylight and still had to get back to the villa. She tried to splash around in the water, hoping the noise would wake him, but it didn't, so she splashed handfuls of water toward him, but he just turned away from it.
"House," she whispered in his ear. "It's time to go back."
"Don't wanna," House mumbled in his sleep.
"Don't care," she informed him, pulling at his arm. "It's time to go."
"Why are you so mean to me?" He asked, opening his eyes in a series of quick blinks.
"It makes me happy," she responded, in no mood for his poor me routine. "Now get up."
"Yes Mommy." He groaned, and rolled over onto his back before struggling to his feet. "What time is it?" The cave seemed darker than before.
"I have no idea." She sank into the water, pulling him along with her. "But we'd better get back before we're stuck here." They must have slept for hours.
"That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." House swam up to her and pulled her into yet another embrace. He liked holding her, just because he could. For years he'd had to look but not touch, and now he got to touch, any time he wanted.
"No, but dinner would be better." She was hungry again. It seemed like not long ago that they had breakfast, but more than half the day had passed and it was well past lunch time.
They swam back to the beach together. They were both too weary for a race.
House wanted to call up to Quintessa for food, but Cuddy decided to make something from the kitchen. There were several prepackaged gourmet meals for her to choose from. All made by Pierre St. Pierre specifically for them.
"Can you check to see that that gate is locked." Cuddy was slaving away in the kitchen, but she was already thinking about dessert, and did not want some hot little teenager barging in again.
"Don't be so paranoid." House went and checked anyway. He knew Cuddy wouldn't relax unless she felt they were safe from intruders.
Dinner was a quiet, subdued affair. They chatted about nothing in particular and shared their plates with one another. Cuddy had a marvelous stir fry, while she had chosen a nice pot roast meal for House. Everything was delicious.
"I hope Wilson remembered to reschedule the Gerbler meeting." Cuddy was thinking about work. She had promised she wouldn't, but they both knew she couldn't keep that promise.
"Don't you trust him?" House laughed.
"It's not that I don't trust him," she started backpedaling.
"You shouldn't. That cougar has already made a pass at him. She'll probably withdraw her donation if he doesn't sleep with her."
"Why wouldn't he?" Cuddy knew Wilson's reputation. He'd sleep with almost anyone. Certainly with anyone needy enough; and Mrs. Gerbler was about as needy as they got. She was a wreck of plastic surgery and bad taste. She would do anything for a man's attention.
"Maybe I told him not to. Just to screw with you." House teased. He knew Cuddy wouldn't let anyone else handle any real work. She was a control freak when it came to that hospital.
"I'm going to call him." She got up and headed to the phone.
"Leave him alone." House got up and followed her.
"Then you call him." She handed him the phone. "Ask him about the Gerbler meeting."
"I'm not going to ask him about the…oh, hello." House hadn't realized she had already dialed Wilson's number until he heard his friend's voice.
"House?" Wilson sounded surprised.
"Cuddy wants to know if you screwed Mrs. Gerbler out of another million yet."
Cuddy grabbed the phone. She did her best to ignore House's battiness. "Did you reschedule the meeting?"
"No." Wilson felt guilty. He was hoping to get through the meeting before having to talk to Cuddy about it. "She couldn't reschedule." It might be the truth, he'd just never asked.
"Wilson! I told you to…"
House grabbed the phone back. "Remember to use a condom," he told his friend.
"Why are you calling?" Wilson was whispering, even though Cuddy couldn't overhear him.
"She's afraid you're going to run the hospital into the ground." She tried to protest but he turned away.
"Tell her everything is fine." Wilson sounded weary and none too self assured.
"Everything is fine," House told his anxious wife. "The fire inspector said the damage was minor and…"
Cuddy grabbed the phone. "Was there a fire?"
"No."
Cuddy glared at her husband who quickly vanished into the bathroom, the only place he could hide. "Don't sign anything. Gerbler is sure to have her lawyer with her, and he is slick. If he tries to make you sign anything, don't do it. Tell him you'll hold the paperwork for me when I get back."
"I know." She'd told him not to sign anything from anybody when she asked him to fill in for her last week.
"And if he brings up the dedication wall, remind him that we have already decided against that and…"
"I KNOW," he said more emphatically. She really had gone over all of this with him before she left, and left extensive notes, and a list of rules.
"Yes, but I know how you get." She knew Gerbler was going to take advantage of the fact that she was away.
"What's that mean?"
"You like giving people what they want, Wilson. It's sweet, really, but if you screw up my hospital because Mrs. Gerbler appeals to your people pleasing side, I will fire you." And she would.
"I'm not going to screw up your hospital." Wilson regretted taking the interim administrative position. He knew he would, but she'd appealed to his people pleasing side and he couldn't say no.
"Give me the phone." House reached out for the phone.
"No." Cuddy ran away. "One more thing, Wilson." She looked at the phone quizzically as it buzzed loudly in her ear. "He hung up me!" She held the phone at House for a moment before setting it back down on the counter.
"Do you blame him?" House chuckled. She was so sexy when she was in boss mode.
"I'm going to call him back…"
"No you're not." House grabbed the phone before she could and threw it out into the sand.
"HOUSE!"
"No phones." He kissed her neck, knowing she couldn't resist.
"Let's go for a walk." She pulled him toward the beach.
"What?" He felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on his head.
"A walk, along the beach. It'll be romantic." She smiled disarmingly.
"No." House had caught on. "You just want to go retrieve the phone so you can harass Wilson some more. I'm not going to let you." He grinned and tried to pull her back inside.
"I want to take a walk." She was holding to her guns. It would be a waste to spend two weeks in paradise and not see one inch of it.
"Not on the beach," House was also holding his guns, and his were bigger.
"Fine, we can walk the other way." There was a small rain forest just beyond the clearing. It was full of lush plants and tropical trees. Fresh bananas and ripe coconuts could be picked by anyone interested in picking them.
She linked her arm in his and let her head rest on his shoulder as they strolled slowly through the foliage. House pointed out different poisonous plants to avoid. Cuddy wasn't sure she believed him, but she wasn't going to take any chances either.
Finally they came to a clearing and stopped for a moment, to make out under the bright moonlight.
"It's a beautiful night," she said, looking into the star filled sky. She couldn't remember ever seeing this many stars in Princeton.
"It is." House was gazing up at a cluster of stars. "Can you find the southern cross?" He stood close behind her, waiting to follow her gaze as she searched the night sky.
Cuddy smiled and remembered when he tried to teach her the constellations. He had used it as an excuse to stand close to her, to brush up against her as he pointed out the different stars, to whisper their names softly in her ear. It had been collegiate foreplay, and she had fallen for it then, much as she was now.
She studied the sky carefully, then pointed at the only one she could ever remember. "That's the Big Dipper."
"I didn't ask you to find the Big Dipper," he spanked her bottom playfully. "I asked for the Southern Cross."
"It's a cross, House. Any of these stars can form a cross." She pouted. She envied how easy it was for him to learn anything. She had studied her ass off to get through college, and he claimed to have barely paid attention, yet he could drill her on anything and know the answers without double checking. It drove her nuts.
House shook his head. "Just follow a line straight from the bottom of the Big Dipper," he stretched his hand up to the sky and drew the line for her. "And there. The Southern Cross." He made a sign of the cross with his hand then lowered it to her waist. "It's not brain surgery."
"I'm not a brain surgeon. Or an astronomer." She spun around in his arms and faced him. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
"You'd also make a lousy pirate." He kissed her between words.
"I wouldn't want to be a pirate." She kissed him back, short, sweet, familiar kisses. Married kisses, and she loved each and every one.
"You'd be a beer wench?" House grinned approvingly. "Hot."
"I would not be a beer wench, House." She frowned at him playfully.
"Oh, don't tell me you would have been the law." House was so disappointed in her.
"I would have been a kept woman." Cuddy smiled triumphantly.
"Kept by whom?" House felt a tinge of jealousy for this imaginary man who was keeping his sexy beer wench wife.
"By the fiercest pirate to sail the seven seas." She was squeezing him tightly, which should have been a sign of who she meant, but House could be pretty dense sometimes.
"And who the hell is that?" House eyed her suspiciously.
"You, you idiot!" She kissed him deeply.
When she pulled away, he was grinning like an idiot. "Let's go to bed."
"Already?" She was wide awake.
"Definitely." House pulled her toward the villa. He had no intention of sleeping just yet.
"Look." She stopped him as soon as they stepped inside and pointed to a silver urn standing beside the bed. "Champagne." She pulled out the bottle that was nestled inside amongst a bed of ice.
"And strawberries." House smiled happily. This was going to be a good night.
"But how…"
"Relax." House sat on a nearby chair, and pulled her into his lap. "Don't think about it." He brushed her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck.
There was a fire crackling in the fireplace. Someone, probably that young Adrianna, had come and set up while they were on their walk. House didn't want to think too much about how they knew when to come, or how they got passed the locked gate, and he definitely didn't want Cuddy thinking about it.
"Would you like a strawberry?" Cuddy pulled one out of the small china bowl. It was freshly washed and the water still clung to the sweet fruit.
"Oh yeah," House said, opening his mouth for her.
Before she fed him the strawberry, she dipped it in a bowl of chocolate sauce. The chocolate dripped between them as she quickly moved the fruit to his lips.
House moaned his approval as he tasted the rich chocolate with the sweet taste of the berry. He sucked on it before biting it off the flowerets of leaves Cuddy was holding onto. He let it roll around in his mouth, enjoying the flavor of the fresh fruit. He wouldn't be surprised to find a strawberry field somewhere on the island. They felt as though they'd been picked only minutes ago.
"Your turn," he said, stretching past her to pick up a strawberry. "Close your eyes and open your mouth," he instructed gently. She did so, though she was obviously hesitant to put her trust in him so completely. He dipped a strawberry in the bowl of freshly whipped cream then slid it into her waiting mouth. He watched her suck hungrily on the fruit as he held it just beyond her bite.
Finally he let her have it, watching her mouth twist around as she chewed. Her eyes were open again, and she was watching him.
"I'll give you another." House reached over and picked up another strawberry.
"It's my turn." Cuddy protested weakly.
"Age before beauty my dear." He only disparaged himself when it suited him, and right not, it suited him just fine. "Now, close your eyes and open wide."
House bit the end off the strawberry and put it in his mouth. Holding on to it tightly in his teeth he leaned over and pushed the other end into her mouth. As she began to nibble on it, she felt his lips press against hers. She felt his tongue push into her mouth and melted into his kiss.
They ate several strawberry's this way, truly sharing each morsel before one or the other of them swallowed the remains. Cuddy pulled House's shirt down over his arms, her hands gliding over his biceps appreciatively. She had insisted he get dressed for dinner, mostly because she enjoyed undressing him after dinner.
House let her undress him. He liked feeling her hands on his body. He liked being able to just lay back and relax and let her do all the work. He liked that sometimes she took the lead, and other times he was in full control. It kept things interesting.
Cuddy straddled him and he realized she'd pinned his arms behind the chair, using the shirt to keep him immobile. "Relax," she said gently, pouring a glass of champagne.
"How can I relax? I don't trust you for a second." He didn't struggle or try to get out. He was afraid if he tried he might actually succeed. Then he'd never know what she had in store for him.
"Good." She smiled and took a sip of the champagne.
"So, evil woman, what are your intentions?" House felt his heart picking up the pace. He loved their little games.
"Why would I tell you?" She dipped her finger in the glass and circled each of his nipples with it. He gulped anxiously as she leaned down and licked the champagne off him. "Don't you just love the taste of champagne?" She asked coyly.
"Yes." House loved the taste of her, as well. "May I have some?" It wasn't begging. Not when it would lead to his getting some.
Cuddy thought about it, her pretty little head cocked to one side. "I don't think you're ready for it, Dr. House." She took another slow, seductive sip.
"I'm ready," he begged. Okay, this time it was begging, but it was begging for a good cause. That didn't count.
Cuddy smiled and twisted her body toward the table. She picked up another strawberry, and carefully dipped it into the glass. "Say please," she demanded gently.
"Please," House responded, willing to do whatever she asked.
"Good boy." She slid the strawberry across his lips, pulling it away as he tried to take a bite. "Not until I say so." She smiled devilishly and he knew he'd been beaten this time.
She slid the strawberry across his lips again, and this time House resisted the urge to bite. He wanted to bite her, but he was biding his time. He had to let her win once in a while, or she'd stop playing with him.
"Good boy." She pushed the strawberry into his mouth. "Now you can have it."
House gobbled up the strawberry as if he hadn't eaten in a week. It did taste better for the waiting, but he wasn't going to admit that.
"You look hot," Cuddy said, enjoying her power.
"I am," House purred.
"Let me cool you off then." She grinned mischievously and turned her back again.
"No!" House had a bad feeling about what was coming. "I'm fine."
"You certainly are," she ran her hand down his chest. Her soft touch was followed by a very cold ice cube. She was holding it with a napkin, so as not to freeze her own fingers, as she slid it down his chest. Each nipple got a special visit, as she circled it round and round his areola.
House shivered beneath her as the cold solid cube began to melt against his hot flesh. It burned him as it traveled across his chest and down over his stomach, but he would have killed her if she'd stopped. His body felt alive, invigorated. He wanted her more than ever, but was willing to wait, knowing the payoff would be that much greater if he let her have her way with him first.
She let the ice cube fall into his lap, to melt where it landed, and took another one, placing it in her mouth. She then leaned in to kiss him. It was a bizarre sensation as the cold cube mingled with their hot tongues. both numbed and heightened the senses at the same time.
When he could no longer take the coldness of it, he spit the ice cube out onto the floor.
"I can't believe you spit that out," she said accusingly.
"I can't believe you shoved it in my mouth," he snapped back.
"Well, if that's how you feel about it," she began to get up.
"No, no, no, no," he pleaded. "We can do the ice cube thing again if you want." He would do anything she wanted at this point.
"No, that's okay." She tried to sound blasé, but she, too, was at the point of no return. "I'm feeling a little tired anyway." She faked a stretch and yawn.
House stared her down. "You do know I can get out of this chair if I have to." It wasn't really a question. It was a threat.
Cuddy looked at him. She was in a pretty floral sundress that flowed gently down her body. It left too much to the imagination, but it was cool and comfortable. House watched as she gently slid the arms off her shoulders. Watched as the loose cotton slid down her body, as she shimmied to help it along. She hadn't been wearing anything underneath, and now stood before him, naked.
"That's more like it," he said as she knelt in front of him, running her hands up his thighs, prying his legs apart, not that it was a difficult task. He was ready for her. His pole was vaulted and ready for her to mount in any way she saw fit.
He felt a thrilling shiver rush through him as she climbed on top of him, facing him, her legs threading through the arms of the chair. He felt her warmth surround him, and the chill of the ice melted completely from his memory.
"I own you," she said triumphantly as she rode him gently.
"Yes, you do," he was in no mood, nor position, to argue. If she wanted to own him, he was willing to be hers.
"And I love you," she bend forward and kissed him, pressing her naked body tightly against his.
"Yes, you do," he said, half smirking.
"House!" She froze. She wasn't moving until he said…
"And I love you too." He kissed her lips gently.
"You better." She continued her slow, seductive grind.
"Or else what?" He should have known the answer, but there wasn't really much blood flowing toward his brain at the moment.
"Or else you will never see me naked again." She worked faster, making him cum quickly.
"We can still have sex with our clothes on," he reminded her as she climbed off him.
"Whatever you say House," she called over her shoulder, as she headed toward the bathroom.
"You're just going to leave me here?" He asked, feeling very vulnerable.
"You said you could get out of it any time you wanted." She came back into the main room. She'd changed into a pretty white satin negligee. Clearly a wedding gift from someone who thought she was still a virgin, or at least hoped she was. Probably an old aunt or something.
"True." He was just trying to decide if he wanted to.
"Well, then, prove it." She took the bottle of champagne and the two glasses and walked over to the bed. House was facing away from her, but could hear her pouring two glasses out as he quickly undid the loose knot keeping him bound.
Before she could finish pouring the second glass, he was taking it out of her hand and placing it on the bedside table. As he stretched his arm across her, to reach the table, he just happened to push her down onto her back. He took a long pull from the champagne bottle before placing it on the table beside their undrunk glasses.
He was still leaning over her, looking at her lustfully. He let his hand trail down the satin that protected her. When he reached the bottom, he began to pull that satin up. She lay their waiting for him to take her, to ravage her like a fierce and mighty pirate, so he did.