Draco put on a bathrobe, took a few seconds to take a deep breath and recompose himself before leaving the bathroom to find Hermione. He was still struggling to process what had just happened, just as he was struggling to sort out his thoughts.
He was completely lost.
To his surprise, Hermione was waiting for him in the living room, dressed, sitting in an armchair with tea on the coffee table, and anxiously picking at her fingers. He had half expected her to show the same confidence as earlier, but instead she seemed just as embarrassed and lost as he was.
She was biting her lower lip, playing with her rings and huddled in her chair as if trying to protect herself from something or attempting to be one with the chair. Did she regret it? That was the first thing that came to Draco's mind. He couldn't think of anything else. How and why would she have found it normal that he came thanks to her? And yet that's what she had done...
He sat down opposite to her and the most awkward silence settled in. He didn't know what to do, what to say to break the tension or ease it. Should he try to reassure her by saying that he would act as if nothing had happened if that was what she wanted? Should he apologise for coming in her mouth? Should he wait for her to speak first?
He opted for the last option and preferred to hide behind his teacup rather than face her gaze. She seemed to be looking at him curiously, as if searching his face for any sign of regret. Draco knew that there were none.
How could he regret the orgasm that the woman–who had haunted his dreams for days had just given him?
He found it selfish to think like that, knowing full well that whatever happened, their friendship would suffer. He couldn't help feeling that she was regretting it, to the point where he began to feel bad. He didn't want to impose anything on her, on the contrary.
If she asked him to forget what had just happened, he would do so without hesitation. If she asked him to keep it a one-off, he would never ask for anything more. If she asked that they never see each other again, he would agree, albeit reluctantly. He would do anything for her, if it meant she was happy. No one deserves happiness more than Hermione in his eyes.
She was one of the most important person in his life and it was well known that Draco would give his life for the people he loved.
"I don't want this to end," she blurted suddenly, startling him.
It took him a few seconds to understand the meaning of her words. Had he heard her right?
"Sorry?" he said, obviously confused.
She bit her lip again and blushed as she looked away.
"I've been wanting to do that for days," she whispered, not daring to look at him. "I know I've been rather intrusive, that I haven't really given you time to understand and I'm sorry for that. I didn't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation and make you feel obliged to do anything, I–"
"You didn't!" he cut her off hoarsely, struggling to realise what she was implying. "I wanted it too."
She raised her head at his words, looking even more confused. Obviously, she hadn't expected that.
"Did you–Did you want me?" she asked shyly, the blush on her cheeks hadn't disappeared.
He nodded and swallowed. His fingers were clasped tightly around his cup, to the point where his knuckles had turned white. His heart was racing and he felt like he was on the edge of a precipice. The feeling that at any moment he could fall off and lose Hermione.
"Is that still the case?" she then asked.
"Yes," he admitted in a low voice. "But I don't want you to feel obliged to do anything either. If you don't want to, I can just forget it ever happened and pretend–"
"No!" she cut him off sharply.
She was blushing furiously as he frowned. She'd obviously spoken out of control.
"I don't want you to forget," she said, clearing her throat.
"What do you want, then?" he dared to ask, turning a deep gaze into hers.
"I want to be able to continue this kind of thing with you," she replied shyly.
He held back a laugh at her childish phrasing. She hadn't seemed so embarrassed or shy when she'd knelt down and sucked his cock.
He just smiled slyly, all shyness gone from his side. He was gradually relaxing.
"Nothing more, right?" he asked nevertheless.
He knew very well that she didn't want a serious relationship and he would never push her into one. He would accept whatever she wanted to give him. He still found it difficult to determine what was between them, or at least what he felt for her, anyway. It was far too early and he was more afraid of what he might feel for her than anything else.
"Yes," she whispered, so quietly he wasn't sure she'd actually said the word.
He nodded as his heart sank. He would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed by her answer. Although he had claimed for years that he didn't want anything serious with anyone, he was aware that Hermione was an exception.
However, he had to be realistic. Even if she had wanted more, Draco probably wouldn't have been ready for it. With his daughter, his family problems and his busy job—although he shared it with Hermione—he wouldn't have the time or energy to invest in a serious relationship. Besides, he had to admit he was terrified of ever letting a woman into his life while Alhena was around. The last thing he wanted was to risk his daughter becoming attached to someone only for it to end a year or two later.
So it occurred to him that Hermione's answer was the one he needed. Although his ego was slightly bruised, he had to be realistic.
"Since when?" he then enquired, restraining himself as best as he could from jumping on her to taste her lips once more.
"When we saw each other again," she admitted, putting down her cup of tea. "I wanted to try something before I moved out. I would have hated myself if I hadn't tried," she then explained, fiddling with the sleeves of her top.
He nodded thoughtfully. So she had felt this attraction at the same time as he had.
"Promise me you don't regret this," he asked her after a short silence.
"I don't regret it, Draco," she said in a low but sure voice. "I've wanted to talk to you about it for days, but I was afraid it would have too much of an impact on us living together, and with Alhena around, I–"
"I understand," he cut her off, smiling slightly. "You did the right thing."
She nodded again. There was another silence.
Draco took the opportunity to think about the situation.
Hermione obviously wanted them to be friends with benefits. In a way, he wanted that too, but he needed to take stock of the situation.
He was attracted to her, that was a fact.
They were best friends. Con. He was afraid that by taking such a road with her, they wouldn't be able to turn back and risk destroying the friendship they'd built.
She was attracted to him. Pro.
She was excellent with her mouth. Pro.
She was going to move out and they wouldn't be living together all the time, which was another pro. That way, there would be no risk of it going any further one day. She wouldn't be sleeping with him and they wouldn't be constantly together. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a boundary.
They worked together. Draco wasn't sure whether this was a pro or a con. Pro, because it would open up a world of possibilities for them. He could already see himself taking her on one of their desks or in one of the hospital storage rooms.
Merlin, that thought alone would have been enough to wake Mini-Draco up. He put his cup down on the coffee table.
On the con side, however, there was a risk that this might affect their work life. As professional as they were, they were still human and spending so much time together, as well as having sex, could lead to discord.
He then thought to himself that they had managed perfectly well during their studies. They had spent their days and nights together—with all due respect, of course—and it hadn't affected their work. Would sleeping together change that? He wasn't sure.
"We can give ourselves time to think about it, if you like," she suggested in a whisper.
He raised his head and looked at her. She seemed as stressed as ever, as if she had never been in his presence. She was always so confident with him, being the one to comfort him and rarely the other way round.
"Are you scared of something?" he asked her.
He needed her opinion, her point of view, her thoughts. She was always the one to provide the spark he hadn't thought of. No wonder their teamwork worked so well.
She shook her head slightly and ran her finger around her mug in a repetitive gesture.
"I think it would be silly to ignore that, knowing that we both want to," she explained without looking at him.
"But?"
"But I think we're going to have to communicate more than ever if we want this to work without either of us getting hurt," she replied, her eyes finally meeting his.
"That makes sense to me, yes. But we've always been good at communicating, don't you think?"
He was lying to himself a little when he said that, but after all, denial was a big part of his life, wasn't it?
"I think so," Hermione nodded without taking her eyes off him.
He noticed that her gaze was not as shy as before. It was more ardent, more curious, and that made Draco smile. The atmosphere was suddenly very different.
"To answer your question, I don't think I need another second to think about it, do you?" he said in a low voice.
He saw her bite her lip at his words and her cheeks coloured slightly. She stood up before he could. He couldn't take his eyes off her, she was hypnotising him.
She moved towards him and stood between his spread legs. He put his hands on her hips automatically. She couldn't take her eyes off him and the intensity of her gaze was enough to arouse his most intimate parts.
"Don't you think we should discuss some rules between us?" she said in a low voice, her cheeks slightly flushed.
He smiled, rolling his eyes. Of course she wouldn't jump into such a relationship with both feet and without taking precautions. But he didn't let go of her and just smiled more wryly.
"You're right," he said in a falsely professional tone. "The first rule is that subject A, i.e. me, must always give orgasms back to subject B, i.e. you."
"Draco!" she exclaimed, laughing and rolling her eyes.
She started to back away, probably to speak more seriously, but he didn't give her the chance. He pulled her forward and she fell back onto the sofa, right next to him. He took the opportunity to position himself right on top of her, never letting go of her hips.
"I suggest we talk later, Granger," he whispered in her ear. "Right now, all I want to do is take off every stitch of your clothing and hear you scream my name."
He immediately heard her breathing quicken at his words and smiled even wider. She nodded, clearly unable to say a word, and Draco took the opportunity to let his lips run under her ear.
She moaned and Draco was pleased to discover that it was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.
"What do you think?" he asked between kisses.
"I think you'd better make me come, Malfoy."
That was all he needed.
The confirmation.
Her clothes didn't stay on for long.
Her moans echoed in Draco's ears as he savoured her skin inch by inch.
He sucked on her nipples one by one until they hardened between his lips and she arched her back in pleasure.
She ran her hand through his hair, occasionally tugging at it, and her chest heaved with her erratic breathing.
His lips traced a wet path to her navel, then to the elastic of her knickers, the only item of clothing he hadn't already made disappear.
"Holy Merlin, are you this wet for me, Granger?" he breathed, running a finger over the lace of her underwear.
"Just for you," she moaned, squirming to get him to touch her again.
"You play your cards close to your chest," he laughed, looking up at her.
Before she could reply, he placed his lips on the fabric, without taking his eyes off her.
Her eyes widened at this simple gesture.
Draco slipped his fingers under the elastic of her underwear and slowly slid it down her legs. He then swung it across the living room.
He breathed on her sex and watched her reaction through his long blond eyelashes. She was already red and sweaty. Her breathing was getting faster and faster. She couldn't take her eyes off him.
"More, please," she moaned to get him to move.
He only responded with a wink and simply grabbed her right ankle.
He kissed her, staring at her, and trailed his kisses up her leg. When he reached the top of her thigh, he nipped lightly at her flesh and grabbed her second ankle.
"Draco..."
He inflicted the same treatment on her left leg, but unlike the first, lingered on her thigh. Indeed, he realised one of his fantasies about Hermione: to let his lips run over her tattoo. He kissed every inch of the dragon, from her hip to her lower thigh.
It was exquisite.
"Please..."
He smiled against her skin and decided to finally indulge her desire.
He did his best to make her cry out with his fingers and tongue. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He finally had tasted the splendid vision of her face distorted by pleasure and he already knew he couldn't do without it.
Merlin, how was he going to manage to keep this just for pleasure?
Her thighs began to tremble around his head and he smiled over her folds. He sucked one last time on her clit, while raising one of his hands to her chest to pinch her right nipple.
"Draco!"
He was a dead man and she had just pronounced his sentence.
It would be impossible for him to forget the memory of his first name on her lips after he'd given her an orgasm. It would haunt his dreams.