I hope you're all doing great!
here's the new chapter: more pillow talk... can't do any harm at that point, can it? :-)

** CHAPTER 55 **

They remained silent and immobile, simply wrapped in each other's embrace for a while, until Cuddy felt House wiggle against her. She tilted up her face to look at him and questioned him with tender eyes. But he was staring at the ceiling, uncomfortably avoiding her gaze.

"So," he finally said, "I guess that means you didn't run away to Boston to meet up with Bill?"

She knew he had a lot weighing on his mind in that moment, and that he had to let it out one way or the other, so she remained silent, allowing him to express his feelings and get rid of his demons, helping her get rid of hers as well.

"You left me," House stated in a detached, neutral tone, his voice echoing flatly in the room. "You gave me no warning, no reason, nothing."

His eyes were fixated on a random spot straight above him on the ceiling, but she still saw his pupils glistening in the semi darkness.

"I thought I'd tried hard enough… that you were… I mean, that we…"

He was struggling to find the right words and Cuddy felt her throat tighten, as sadness and guilt started pervading her. It was too much of an unbearable torture: She couldn't let him blame himself for what'd happened. She cupped the side of his face with her palm and forced him to turn his head to the side to look at her.

"House," she spoke gently. "This is not your fault. It's me… I got scared and-"

"Scared? Why? Because of the lump? Because you were afraid to have cancer?" he asked, sounding unconvinced by his own theory.

"No. I was scared because of me… us."

He rolled to the side to face her, his face almost touching hers. Even in the darkness, she could see his deep blue eyes intensely staring at her, almost piercing through her soul.

"Why?" he asked again, baffled.

She inhaled deeply and stretched out her arm to touch him. She fondled the round shape of his shoulder and focused her gaze on his torso, not daring to face his scrutinizing, insistent stare.

"Because… I was scared to be hurt."

"Cuddy, I know I said-"

She quickly covered his lips with her index finger to shush him.

"No. Please, House, let me explain. I was afraid to be hurt, but you'd done nothing wrong. I was just afraid I might lose what we had… lose you… and I didn't want to lose you-"

"You were afraid you might die?"

She sighed and came closer to him, snuggling up in his arms.

"No. I was scared you'd stop wanting me, and that… I'd lose you," she confessed with uncensored honesty.

"So – correct me if I'm wrong – in order not to lose me, you… ran away from me?"

He frowned, intrigued. He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face up so that she would look him the eyes again. Then he shook his head, disapprovingly, but a fond smile drew on his lips.

"I know it sounds-"

"Crazy? Stupid? Irrational?" House suggested, still smiling.

"Unreasonable," Cuddy corrected. "But I had doubts, and-"

He puffed and rolled his eyes theatrically. After all, she was in his arms now, and he didn't have the energy to dissect every segment of that undecipherable woman's logic, so he leaned down and silenced her with a big, wet kiss instead, covering her lips with his and tasting her tongue with his tongue ravenously. It caught her by surprise, and she gasped for air as soon as he broke away from her.

"What was that?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"That was to prove to you how wrong you are," he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Geez, I'm so happy I don't have all these feminine hormones screwing with my brain right now! Means one of us can at least think straight!"

She smacked him on the side of his arm playfully and started fidgeting to protest but he tightened his grasp around her and immobilized her in his arms to keep her still. Her face was pressed against his torso, and she took a deep breath, letting his masculine scent invade her nostrils. He was right: She didn't need anything other than to be in his arms to feel perfectly fulfilled in that instant.

You've been so irrational and stupid, she thought. How could you run away from him when it feels so right to be with him?

She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes, brushing all her doubts away from her mind.

"What time is it?" she inquired all of sudden.

"I don't know. Late. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just that I was thinking: You've booked a hotel room for nothing."

A brief silence followed her statement, soon interrupted by the sound of his chuckle.

"Nuh-uh, I don't do things for nothing!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means, I took a plane. I took a cab. And I came here to wait for you. That's all. There's no booking a hotel room involved in the process."

Cuddy pushed on his chest with her palms to prop herself up and stared at him, baffled.

"You came here… straight from the airport?"

"Sorry, I thought the shopping could wait until tomorrow."

"Tutt, don't deflect, House! You perfectly know what I mean. I mean you came here without any doubts?!"

"Yeah," he confirmed, closing his arms around her.

"But— what if I'd turned you down?" she said, jutting her chin up challengingly.

House let out a quiet laugh and squeezed her tighter against him.

"Nope! I knew you wouldn't!" he exclaimed, flashing her his perfectly well-mastered smartass grin.

"You knew? I- you… I mean… how could you know that?" Cuddy faltered, taken aback by his nerve.

"Because you're crazy about me Lisa Cuddy, that's why! Admit it: You ran away but, all this time, you were miserable because you can't live without me!"

His smile was self-confident, but in his eyes there still was that hint of uncertainty, and, unconsciously, House was somehow silently begging her to say something that would confirm it was true. Cuddy narrowed her eyes at him and deliberately remained silent. Unimpressed, he sustained her challenging gaze, waiting for her to cave first.

"Yes," she finally said, her voice low.

"Yes what?"

She hopped on top on him and pinched his cheeks, the tip of her nose touching his.

"Yes… all the things you've said," she teased, amused.

He seized both her hands and crossed them behind her back, imprisoning her in his grasp. Then, he swiftly shifted position and rolled her under him, hovering over her.

"Say it," he ordered with a playful tone. "Say you're crazy about me."

She peered into his intense, compelling eyes, breathless, and smiled coyly.

"I'm crazy about you, Gregory House."

Satisfied with her answer, he released her from his grasp and rolled on his back by her side, sticking out his chest proudly and beaming at the ceiling. She repositioned herself inside his arms, and cuddled up against him.

"What about you?" she coaxed, tickling the light patch of hair on his torso with her fingertips.

"What about me?" he repeated, pretending not to understand.

"Say it to me again."

"What?"

His smile broadened and he conspicuously ignored her, deliberately focusing his gaze on the ceiling,

"The thing you've said to me before" she simpered, rubbing her body against his rousingly.

"That you're a pain in the ass?" he joked, repressing a laugh.

"No, after that," she blew hoarsely, coming even closer, her hand travelling from his chest down to his abdomen.

"That I have a big cane?" he proposed, chuckling almost boyishly.

"Noooo," she said with a pout. "Before that." And she grazed his erect nipple with her teeth teasingly.

He turned to face her, gently pushing her aside.

"Ooh, you mean: That I love you?" he finally conceded, a roguish look on his face.

She nodded like a little girl and fluttered her eyelashes seductively.

"That was a lie," he deadpanned.

"Of course," she faked to approve.

"I only said that to coax you into having sex, you know."

"All the more reason to say it again, then," she said cockily. "If it worked the first time, why not try it a second time, see if it works again?"

House pretended to contemplate her offer for a short while then, unexpectedly, shook his head 'no'.

"Nah," he answered, repressing a yawn. "I'm too tired, sorry."

"Seriously?" Cuddy asked unable to hide her disappointment.

He took pleasure in making her wait a little longer, but he couldn't hold back the impish beam that formed on the corner of his lips much longer as he tugged her ravenously to him.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

A/N

so, you saw how it works: more talk, hence more love, hence more fun to come... :)
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR AMAZINGLY KIND WORDS. I don't know if I'm allowed to feel proud, but you sure make me feel like I should be!

~ maya

PS (to Sara): since you've asked, I've updated my profile and added directs links to my Huddy reviews so you can easily access them if you want.
(to beti86): I hope you're feeling well! and this was so very kind of you to read the previous chapter no matter what! that made me happy! :)
(to Huddles777): hey I totally forgot to ask, since you're a scorpio, when should I wish you a happy birthday? (I hope it's not too late...)