CHAPTER 3

Cuddy had asked House to watch Rachel. She had stayed late because she was interviewing medical students who had worked with Wilson and with Bauer the previous year. She wanted documentation of how they worked with them that would show that Bauer had not implemented any of the techniques he was claiming as his own, and that, in fact, Wilson was the owner of the work. Many of the busy students couldn't meet with her until weird hours, due to their shift schedules, but Cuddy wanted to do it ASAP, before word got back to Bauer. She came home after 10 to find House sitting on the couch playing a video game, Rachel leaning against him asleep in her diaper.

"House!" Cuddy exclaimed. "Why isn't she in bed?"

"She kept getting out," he explained. "She knew you weren't home and was missing you, I think." Cuddy made a sad face. "I knew she'd konk out if she'd just lay still, so I let her watch me play." Cuddy started taking off her coat and stowing her briefcase.

"Where are her pajamas?" Cuddy asked.

"Well…" House explained. "I was eating ice cream," he began. Cuddy rolled her eyes. "What am I gonna do, Cuddy? She wanted some and got it all over. I didn't know what you wanted her in… I can't tell in there what's clothes, pajamas, or curtains. Everything's just pink and fuzzy."

Cuddy rolled her eyes. "So you can diagnose a worm in someone's brain or a tick in someone's vagina, but you can't identify pajamas?"

"I don't have my team!" he explained. Cuddy scooped sleepy Rachel up, who opened her eyes a tiny bit and mumbled "H-ows," as she was carried to bed. House smiled a little. Cuddy went off to lay Rachel down and House turned off the TV and went to the bedroom.

He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Cuddy come in, quietly shutting the door behind her. She took her suit jacket off and pulled a hanger out of her closet. "So, how did it go?" House asked her, concerned about how much she and Wilson were worrying, but still feeling pretty sure that Bauer was too big of a pussy to follow-through.

"Really well," Cuddy said promisingly. "Every single one of Wilson's student cited activities described in his research and none of Bauer's did. It couldn't have worked out better." Cuddy started to unzip her skirt, but House reached out and hooked his fingers into the waist of her skirt and pulled her to him so she was standing between his legs. He laid his face against her body and she hugged his head.

"That's perfect, then," he replied, his words muffled by her skin. His hands went around her and met at her skirt's zipper, sliding it down. "So if he decides to pursue this, we have ammo to retaliate." He let her skirt drop to the floor and ran his hands over her ass, cutely sticking out of the bottom of her panties.

"I'm actually thinking to go in guns blazing," Cuddy replied, closing her eyes and relaxing into the feeling of House's hands on her, his face nuzzling against her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up and beginning to unbutton her shirt.

"I'm thinking Wilson should pursue a complaint to the ethics committee," she said. "We should chase Bauer out before he has time to even attempt something towards us. It's all so clear with these interviews and with Wilson's files on the work; I don't think the investigation would even take long." House thought about that as he slid her shirt off her shoulders. "But then…" she hesitated.

"But then Bauer coming after me for the conference is a sure thing, I know," House said, gliding his hand over her bare skin, staring at her gorgeous body accentuated by black lace.

"House, I don't know if they'd even indulge his claims, or even find what you did all that heinous in comparison. Intellectual property is much more sacred to them-" she was explaining.

"Cuddy, do I look worried?" he asked, looking up at her while he pulled her closer to him. "It's what's best for you and Wilson, and I have an easy story: I went to support Wilson, Bauer didn't show up, and I used the opportunity. It was a rash decision made in the heat of the moment."

She smiled at him. "Rashly made the night before when you paid two hookers to seduce him," she added, "Which is on my credit card record."

"For him?" he asked. "Those hookers were for you and me, Cuddy. Man, you were drunk. You don't even remember that night." He winked at her.

"Your night in Vegas with three women…" Cuddy summarized. "You should write that up and send it into Playboy." She straddled him on the edge of the bed, wrapping her legs, still in black stockings, around his back.

"I'm glad you feel that way because I already did," he joked, kissing her neck and running his hand over her breast. "It won best letter. The prize is you get to pose for Miss October."

"Oh! Wow!" she exclaimed, bringing her hand to her heart in faux surprise. "What should I wear?"

"This," House answered immediately. "But without this," he added, unhooking her bra. He bent his head and began kissing her breasts. Cuddy sighed.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his face in her hands and lifting his eyes to meet hers. "House, you're drunk on lust. Focus for a minute and tell me if you really think that's what we should do."

"First of all, Cuddy," he replied, "I've been drunk on lust for you for years – yet I can still find a worm in someone's brain. Secondly, I assure you this is what we should do. I can take any heat that comes my way, and Bauer will fry. I just hope Wilson can keep it together," he said.

Cuddy nodded, satisfied that he agreed with her decision. "Alright. Resume," she instructed. He laughed and returned his attention to her breasts. Cuddy slid her hands down his back and up his sides, feeling his body as he held her.

Now House stopped and looked up at her. "Cuddy, my handling it the way I did – I didn't mean for it to land back on you. I maybe should have thought that through a little more."

"House, are you apologizing? I feel like I'm hallucinating," she teased.

"My actions have always led me to have to answer to you. But I forget that now my actions reflect on you too. I don't regret what I did on behalf of Wilson, but if any of it comes back to even slightly embarrass you, I feel terrible about that," he explained.

"I'm a big girl, House. I knew who I was getting involved with. If they accuse me of sleeping with you I'm not going to shrivel into a ball and die," she answered. "They can't imply that that means I can control you."

"Even though it does," he grinned at her.

"Even though it does," she agreed. She pulled his tee shirt off over his head. "So will you please shut up now and fuck me?"

"I feel so micro-managed," he whined, laying back and pulling her on top of him. She kissed his neck, feeling his stubble on her lips. He had one hand in her hair, holding it back, and the other was working its way under her panties. Cuddy felt his fingers glide over her slit and a moan immediately escaped her lips. She found her hips involuntarily pushing toward his hand. House teased her, pulling his hand back except for the tip of his fingers, which grazed her clit. Cuddy was grinding against him now, pinning his hand between their two bodies. House relented and slid three fingers into her heat, feeling her body tighten around them. She heard him quietly groan, knowing he was imagining being inside of her.

"I know what you're thinking," she whispered in his ear. She suddenly felt like playing with him. That was what they did – wrestled for momentary control of the other, even in these intimate situations. That's what happens, she supposed, when two unstoppable forces collide.

He smiled a little, eyes closed as he continued exploring her with his fingers, his other hand leaving her hair to cup her breast as she propped herself on an elbow, watching his face. Even just the slightest smile on his lips made her melt. "What's that?" he asked, taking the bait.

"You're imagining what it's going to feel like when you slide these panties off of me," she told him, "Pushing them down my legs." She watched his smile grow a little, and a quick tiny wince struck his closed eyes. She undid his fly. "You're thinking about how you're going to leave my stockings on and roll me over," she continued, "and pin my arms above my head." House's lips parted and his breath puffed out heavier now. She pushed his pants and boxers down his legs. His fingers were more insistent now, feeling her wetness and moving to her clit. Cuddy felt her breath catch at his touch, but wanted to continue this, enjoying for once having him searching for words. "There I'll be below you," she told him, "waiting for you to push into me, dying to feel you." House bit his lip, and his face tensed in a slight strain to control himself. His free hand started pushing her panties down. "Waaaiit," she sang, "Let me finish reading your mind."

"Cuddy, God," he breathed. "I…" he was truly speechless.

"I know," she said in a comforting voice. "You want to start this. But let me just tell you how it ends. You feel me lifting up, pushing up to meet you. Can you imagine that, House?" He nodded. "And then you push inside me," - The tiniest whimper came out of him. - "and you feel me all around you, all tight and wet and warm." House lifted his head and then let it slam back against the bed. "You'll start moving, making yourself go slowly at first, trying to just feel me and enjoy taking your time. But you'll feel my body beneath you, House. Because of you, I'll be squirming and tensing with anticipation. You'll be making me feel so good." House had been occupying his free hand with the edge of her panties, but he now started forcibly pushing them down. His hand on her sex stroked her clit, felt her inside, pulled at her. It had no focus because he was delirious with desire. "And you'll feel it, House, when I come. You'll be holding my body and you'll feel it around you and you'll hear me saying your name and thanking you for doing this to me," she went on. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't play this game. He used his strength to roll her over onto her back and then he did, indeed, pin her arms over her head, holding both wrists with one hand while his other ran down the length of her body. She could hear from his breath that she'd gotten to him, and that was enough for her. "I didn't even finish," she said, growing breathless herself.

"I get it, you're psychic," he breathed, finding her entrance with his erection. He pushed against her a little. "But so am I," he told her. "You're thinking, 'God, House, please, yes,'" he grinned at her, trying to wrest back a little of the power, "and so on…". Cuddy smiled.

"I'm actually…" - He moved against her, her breath caught. - "thinking about the meeting…" - He entered her just a little, she moaned and arched up, urging him on. - "about the hospital budget…" - He pushed deeply into her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. - "on Thursday," she finished, head thrown back while he kissed her neck.

"Really?" he asked. He began thrusting into her now, one hand still on her wrists, the other propping him up to see her face. "What's the name of our hospital, Cuddy?" He moved fast and hard into her, barely able to get his words out.

"Um," she said, "Isn't it something like… God, House, please, yes." He grinned and then kissed her hard on the mouth. Their kisses were alternating between frenzied and almost non-existent, when they would just mingle passionate breath.

She felt him inside her, his hand gently pushing on her wrists. She felt his hips moving between her thighs. She couldn't get over what this man did to her. The weight of his body and the sound of his voice, the smell of his skin and taste of his mouth – all of it just took over her thoughts.

"House," Cuddy moaned. She was close. She was consumed by it. There was something so incredibly erotic about his hand on her wrists. She knew this man would do anything for her, but the idea of him "forcing" her to just lay there while he fucked her was so sexually intense, and so mirroring of their relationship – their games of false control that were really mirages for a deep devotion – that it drove her wild. Her orgasm washed over her like a wave, engulfing her entire body. In that instant he let go of her wrists and wrapped his arms around her pulling her shuddering body against him while nuzzled her neck and ear. Just as she predicted, he felt her body, in his arms and around him, and heard her crying out his name. It was even more fantastic than in his mind when Cuddy described it.

Her pushing up against him and her shaking muscles slowed, but he did not. He wanted her too much. He pushed up on his arms and looked at her completely satisfied smile as he continued sliding in and out of her. She reached up and held his face. "You're thinking how you can't hold back, how this feels too good," she murmured, "and how you'd love to just do this to me forever, but-" she didn't need to say another word. His eyes closed and his breath stopped while he thrust several more times, long and hard and deeply into her, coming inside of her. He sucked in a shaky breath and thrust again, trying to drag this out as long as possible, to be in that place where there was nothing but her, and the pleasure, and the love.

When it was over, he fell to his elbows, propping his weight above her. He still had his eyes closed and was catching his breath. She ran her finger over the features of his face – his eyelids, the bridge of his nose, the line where his stubble ended and his skin was bare, his lips.

"What am I thinking now?" he said in a hoarse whisper.

"If I know you, you're thinking about when we'll do it again," she replied. He laughed and opened his clear blue eyes. He leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"You're wrong, though that's not a bad thought either," he admitted.

She smiled at him. "I was joking," she said. "And I love you too." He smiled and lay on top of her.