There is a drum beating against my ear. Its tempo is slow and steady, a low hum creeping into my dream. Groaning, I open my eyes to discover the source of the beating, only to find my face resting on a bare chest. Startled, I stiffen instantly.

"Relax, Granger," comes a voice near my ear. "It's me." Malfoy's voice is husky with sleep.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot where I was."

An arm I wasn't fully aware of tightens around me, holding me closer to him. The longer I lay next to him, the more aware I become of our current position. Our bodies are intertwined like a jigsaw puzzle, one of my legs thrown carelessly over his hips, my arm stretched out across him.

"Did you sleep all right?"

"Mhm," I murmur, nestling closer to him. "Better than I have in a while. How about you?"

He inhales deeply, the sound echoing in the ear I have pressed against his chest. "The same; I should have had you stay the night with me long ago- who knew I would feel so well rested upon waking up?"

I laugh softly and begin to pull away from him.

"Hey, where are you going?"

I pause, smiling to give him a soft kiss before completely untangling our bodies. "I have to shower. Do you mind if I steal one of your shirts?"

"I mind that you are getting out of bed," he pouts. "But no, I don't mind if you take one of my shirts. I suppose I'll get up too; I'll even cook you breakfast since I didn't cook dinner."

I cross the bedroom and close the bathroom door behind me. Turning to the shower, my jaw drops. It's massive, with three bloody showerheads and glass walls. And next to it is an equally large bathtub! The urge to submerge myself in a nice hot bubble bath is hard to ignore, but I somehow manage; mostly because I'm not sure if Malfoy has bath bubbles and also because I know if I get in that tub, I'm not getting out for at least an hour.

Opting for the shower, I turn on the water and slip into Malfoy's walk-in closet while it heats up. I locate a black button-down shirt and pull it off its hanger, taking it back with me into the bathroom. Shedding my borrowed pajamas, I step into the shower and let out a low moan of satisfaction. I will definitely be coming back to Malfoy's if only for the use of his shower. I massage my scalp as I use Malfoy's shampoo, enjoying that the shower smells like him. I finish washing myself and stand directly under the spray of water, letting my muscles relax under its warm cascade.

"Oi, Granger!" Malfoy calls with a knock on the door. "You've been in there for almost a half hour; breakfast is ready!"

"Sorry, I'll be right out!"

Reluctantly, I shut off the water and stumble out of the shower, drying myself off with the softest towel I can find. I slip into the black dress shirt and notice that it rides up a bit higher than I initially thought it would with my baby bump. Frowning, I poke my head out into the bedroom. Malfoy must have gone back to the kitchen, because I don't see him. I locate my underwear from the previous night and cast a quick cleansing charm with my wand before pulling them on and heading out.

Malfoy has his back to me as he messes with something on the stove. "That shower's wonderful, isn't?" he calls over his shoulder.

"It has three showerheads, of course it's amazing," I reply. "Honestly, I might only be dating you for your snogging skills and your bathroom."

Malfoy snorts and turns, holding a skillet of scrambled eggs. His eyes widen at the sight of me, his mouth dropping just a fraction.

"What?" I say, fidgeting with the end of his shirt.

"Granger, you are standing in a field of sunlight with wet hair, wearing nothing but a pair of knickers and one of my dress shirts. You are a bloody goddess."

A blush no doubt as brilliant as the Gryffindor house colors covers my cheeks and I instantly look away from him to hide my smile. "Seriously?"

"Of course! Now don't move, I need to put this down so I can snog you senseless."

He quickly puts the skillet down on the counter and wraps his arms around my waist, his mouth finding mine immediately. I laugh into his kiss, my hands sliding up his chest to his neck. His tongue traces my lower lip before drawing it behind his teeth and biting down gently, earning him a moan. He chuckles at the sound, his lips moving to kiss along my jaw line as one hand traces my hipbone before sliding along my thigh and drawing my leg up around his waist, his fingers drawing circles into my bare skin. My necks rank through his blond hair as he places open mouth kisses down my throat and helps me wrap my other leg around him so I am clinging to him desperately, his hands underneath my bum to hold me up. I gasp in surprise as his teeth scrape the skin of my neck and then moan as he bites down. Half a second later, my stomach growls, immediately killing the moment.

Malfoy's mouth breaks away from me as he laughs. "Dear Merlin, Granger! Why didn't you tell me you were starving?"

"I was enjoying being snogged senseless."

He laughs again and lowers me back to the ground. "We can continue this later, I assure you." Gesturing that I should take a seat, Malfoy turns back to the counter and carries the last few plates of food to the table. He waves his wand to reheat the food in case it grew cold during our snogging session before seating down across the table from me. "Just so you are aware," he says as I start to fill my plate, "breakfast food is my specialty."

I arch an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Really, so prepare to blow your mind."

"Okay, you were right," I say, pushing my plate away from me. "My mind has officially been blown."

Malfoy gives me a satisfied smirk as he leans back into his chair. "Told you so; when it comes to breakfast food, I am the master."

I smile and raise my glass of milk in a mock toast to his abilities when a tapping echoes through the flat. Malfoy glances behind him to the living room before pushing his chair away from the table and walking to the window. Curious, I follow him.

A tawny owl is perched outside, tapping its beck against the glass. Malfoy slides open the window and accepts the letter it carries on its leg. He pats the bird's head affectionately before it flies off and he shuts the window behind it.

"What is it?" I ask, noticing his furrowed brows as he looks at the letter.

"It's from the office."

He tears open the envelope and scans the contents of the letter before letting out a low growl. His silver eyes flicker up to mine. "I am really sorry Granger, but I have to go into the office for a couple of hours."

"Oh." My shoulder fall, my voice reflecting the disappointment I feel.

"I shouldn't be more than three or four hours," he says as he walks toward me. "Tell you what, you stay here. What's mine is yours, make yourself at home, and when I get back, I will spend the rest of the evening making it up to you."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

His classic smirk reappears on his face. "I've got a couple of ideas. What do you say?"

I glance around the flat, mulling it over. His place is very nice and I still have my work bag with me so I can get somethings done while he's at work too. And if he has his heart set on showering me in attention when he returns, who am I to argue with him?

"All right, Malfoy; you have a deal."

"Excellent," he purrs before capturing my lips in a kiss. He breaks away quickly and waves his wand to clean the kitchen before hurrying into his bedroom to change. He's back just a few minutes later wearing his work clothes and with another kiss for me, he Disapparates on the spot.

I sigh sadly at the loss of him before shaking off my disappointment. I head to the flat's main entrance and open the door to find a copy of the Daily Prophet as expected. Humming to myself, I scoop it up and close the door behind me before unfolding the paper to read the front page.

I knew last night that going public with my relationship with Malfoy could be horrible, but to my surprise, the front page article didn't really even mention Malfoy. It is so much worse than what I was expecting.

"Granger? I'm back!" Malfoy's voice calls through his flat, but I don't respond to him. He'll find me soon enough.

His footsteps echo against the wood floors as he makes his way to the bedroom, cracking open the door.

"Granger? Darling, what happened?"

I'm sitting in the middle of his bed, surrounded by torn pieces of the Prophet, a half empty tub of chocolate ice cream in my lap, the spoon still in my mouth. My face is tear streaked and used tissues litter the floor.

"I'm so sorry," I sob. "I know I'm probably just overreacting, but I can't stop crying!"

Malfoy drops his bag and jacket by the door and kicks off his shoes before crossing the room and climbing onto the bed with me. His silver eyes scan the pieces of the Prophet article, putting together the gist of what was said about me from the headlines and horribly angled photos.

"They write awful things all the time, why am I just now getting upset?"

Malfoy gathers the pieces of the newspaper together and charms them to burn. "A few reasons probably. One, they crossed a line, which I will personally see they never do again. Two, they insulted you by objectifying your looks and berating you for not fitting their ridiculously standards for beauty, even though you are pregnant. And three, they insulted you as a human being by implying you have no moral compass and that you cheated on Weasley with me. I suppose your pregnancy hormones might have something to do with it too, but I think you are perfectly within reason to respond this way. Or to murder anyone remotely involved in the publication of this article."

His arms are around me now, holding me to his chest as he uses his wand to clean the mess on the bed and the floor.

"They made me feel worthless," I murmur against him. "Ugly and worthless."

Malfoy stiffens and tightens his arms around me before softening. "Granger… do you remember what I called you this morning?"

I nod absentmindedly. "You called me a goddess."

"I did, and as a goddess, you are meant to be worshipped and adored every moment of every day. With your permission, I would like to do that now."

"You… you're asking for permission to worship me?"

Malfoy rolls me onto my back so he is leaning over me, his hands flat on the mattress on either side of my head. "Yes, I am. Do I have your permission?"

"I… Do you need permission?"

"Of course I do; if this isn't what you need or want, I'd like you to tell me right now. There are other ways I can make you feel better."

I meet his eyes and chew on my bottom lip. How can he make asking me for my consent both sexy and comforting?

"Yes, Malfoy. You have my permission."

He smiles at me gently before lowering his mouth to mine and kissing me gently. He pulls away from my lips to kiss along my jaw and then down my throat, his lips barely grazing my skin as he nears the collar of his shirt that I am still wearing. His hand comes up to rest on the top button of the shirt. Nibley, he undoes the button and then pauses, no doubt waiting for me to tell him to stop. When I don't voice a complaint, he continues unbuttoning the shirt, his lips following the trail of newly exposed skin down to my knickers.

"You are gorgeous," he murmurs before tracing his tongue back up my stomach, between my breasts and up my neck to the spot behind my ear.

I shiver, my mouth opening in a soft moan as his hands help my arms out of the sleeves of his shirt. One hand slides up my body from my hipbone to my left breast, alternating between kneading it completely and rolling my nipple between two fingers. My back arches of its own accord as his lips latch onto my other nipple, sucking softly before gently biting down.

"Fuck, Malfoy!" I hiss as he continuous his ministrations. "I thought you wanted to worship me, not slowly torture me!"

He chuckles against my skin and begins kissing down my stomach, his fingers hooking around my underwear. Again, he pauses and waits for my approval before removing the fabric from my body. He places soft kisses on the insides of my thighs as he slowly wedges my legs apart.

"Granger, you are a fucking masterpiece."

His words send a shiver up my spine and distract me long enough for him to successfully pin my hips to the mattress with one arm. I let out a surprised shriek when he runs his tongue down my slit, my back arching, my hands gripping the bedsheets tightly.

"Oh shit! Malfoy, what are you doing?"

My eyes seem to roll to the back of my head as he continues to lick and kiss me. His lips close around my clit and I scream, buckling against the arm he uses to keep me pinned down. His free hand moves to hold down my right leg as he tilts his head to a different angle. Suddenly, I feel his tongue slide inside me, swirling around and thrusting in and out.

"Oh holy hell!" I shriek. My hands move from gripping the bedsheets to gripping his hair as he continues his ministrations.

Malfoy alternates between sucking my clit and thrusting his tongue inside of me, increasing his pace as I between to pant. I can feel myself approaching the peak, my back arching, nails scraping hard against his scalp. The scrap of his teeth is my only warning before he gently bites down on my clit and I shriek, my orgasm crashing into me as waves of pleasure roll over me.

I'm panting as I release his hair. Malfoy leans back away from me and licks his lips, a satisfied look on his face. "I want you to remember this moment every time someone tries to convince you that you are anything else than a goddamn work of art, you got that Granger? You deserve to be worshipped like a goddess and I intend to do just that."

I relish in the look of surprise when I lean forward and grasp the front of his shirt, pulling up and on top of me so I can kiss him. I taste myself on his lips as I wrap my arm around his neck, loving the feeling of his hands on my bare skin.

"No one has ever done that to me before," I say breathlessly as we pull away.

"You're joking. Please, Granger, tell me that's a lie."

I shake my head, a dazed smile still on my face. "Merlin, that was incredible…"

"Hey, don't be giving Merlin credit, he had nothing to do with it." Malfoy leans back slightly and gently brushes my hair off my forehead. "Did that help at all then?"

I find one of his hands and link our fingers together, giving him a full smile. "Yes, yes it did."

He smiles back and presses his mouth to mine. "Good."

AN: I am so, so, so sorry for the delay! My school year took a turn for the hectic and I had no time to write, but hopefully I'll be able to finish this story during summer break. Fingers crossed!