If Annie thought that Elio was actually going to fall for that bullshit goodbye of hers, she had another thing coming. Clearly, he hadn't made his absolute devotion to her obvious enough. Did she really think he was going to spend his night kissing her, touching her, loving her and just give up?

Well, if she did, she was going to learn how very dedicated a Nott boy could be.

Annie would probably scold him if she knew what he was doing. His mother would definitely scold him if she knew what he was doing. Scorpius would call him an idiot, his father would disagree aloud but then give him a smirk when his mother wasn't looking, and Astoria Malfoy would probably cast him out of her manor. And Elio had to admit: climbing up the exterior wall in search of her room like a creepy stalker probably wasn't his best move but Annie had left him no choice. He wasn't going to let her leave him like that, not when he could see her mentally resolving against her emotions. Elio had already learned that Annie's head and her heart were at war—and she didn't let her heart out enough to even give it a chance at winning. But if there was any man that was going to bust through her fortress and break down her walls, it would be Elio. Only he would be dedicated enough to scale a damn mansion in search of her. Actually, only he would be stupid enough.

But Elio's father always told him that stupidity in love could sometimes be genius. "Just look at your Uncle Mattheo," Theo joked. "He was a bloody arsehole but he was a bloody arsehole in love so no one could fault him."

The message that Elio took away from that conversation? To let love guide his heart, even if love was leading him to stalk her like a madman. He always thought matters of the heart were best left far from the head anyway.

Elio was definitely breaking many laws—maybe a few indictable offenses too. He couldn't risk using magic and setting off any charms and Scorpius had let it slip that house elves patrolled the corridors of the ladies' wing to keep from anything exactly like this happening. So Elio's genius solution?

Climb the walls and hope that whatever window he stumbled across was hers.

Luckily for him—and his criminal record—Elio knew that Annie was the only lady who hadn't gone home after the ball. So even though he was being a creepy stalker, at least he would be a creepy stalker only for her. He couldn't imagine the sorts of trouble he would be in if he picked the wrong window and the room was occupied.

Elio reached the first window only to peek in and see that the bed—illuminated by the dim moon—was empty. Damn, he thought. But he wouldn't be discouraged. Not when his only option was to go home and risk never seeing her again. Not when he felt like he had finally gotten through her timid outer layer. I think you're lovely too, she had whispered with a cheek pressed against his. It was heavenly to feel her like that, so warm and real against him. Now he just felt cold against the stone.

"I'm coming for you, Little Mouse," Elio said with a grunt as he clutched onto another stone. This certainly wasn't easy but for her, he would do a million hard things. Including climbing his best friend's house.

He reached another window that thankfully opened easily. Elio climbed over the sill, relieved to be on something solid once again only to groan a little too loudly when he saw the room was empty. Back to the walls I go, he grumbled mentally, slipping out just as easily as he slipped in. Elio climbed up and over, up and over while his hand cramped and he was pretty sure a spider bit his left pinky finger—either that or it was so damn tired that it only felt pain. At this point, both were likely.

By the time Elio reached the next window, he was panting heavily, cursing Scorpius for not just telling him what room she was in, and praying to every god he knew that this room was Annie's so he didn't have to climb anymore. He could just crawl in bed and wrap her in his arms while whispering to her how he was never letting her say goodbye.

Crazy? Yes. Absolutely in love with her? Also yes.

Well call me a religious man, Elio thought with a smirk as he leaped over the windowsill into the room where a small body with long brown waves lay underneath the bed. The moonlight cascaded over her face, making her look even more angelic than before. Elio saw Annie without makeup, without frills, without sparkles, and he thought she was even more radiant. She looked peaceful while she slept, even younger than before. Like her heart wasn't as guarded, like her mind was drifting off on a river instead of arming itself against him.

Fuck. I love her, he thought with a pang in his heart because right now, he desperately wished he had a ring in his pocket to put on the hand clutching her pillow.

Elio tried to walk quietly across the room but that was easier said than done when the room was almost completely pitch black save for the bit of moonlight on her face. "Fuck," he hissed when he hit his toe on something hard, causing whatever that something was to tumble across the room.

In the dark, Elio heard a body shoot up in bed. The sheets rustled and he lost sight of her face, which was the only thing guiding him. Without her light, he was hopelessly lost.

"W-who's there?" she stuttered. He was proud of her for being so brave but angry that she would try to address an intruder—even if the intruder was him. Before Elio could speak, he heard more rustling before Annie spoke in a stronger voice. "Whoever you are, I have my wand—" No, she didn't. He could hear her fumbling for it. "And if you dare to touch me, my father will gut you like a—"

"Woah, woah," he whispered, chuckling as he stepped into the bed. Literally. His shins hit the hard metal frame before he fell onto it—and right on top of Annie.

She took a deep breath like she was going to scream so Elio—again, making a stupid decision when it came to this woman—covered her mouth. "Baby, it's me. It's me, topolina. Just me."

Annie sighed against his mouth before shuffling and muttering something under her breath. Her wand illuminated the two of them before she flicked it at the nearby lamps. "Elio? What are you doing breaking into my room?"

"Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?" he asked with a grin. "I would have thought you would know me better by now."

"I thought you wouldn't stalk my bedroom at night!"

Elio looked down at their very compromising position. His arms pinned her against the bed while his dick (one that was only hardening it with every second) was placed perfectly against her core. When Annie sat up at his entrance, the sheets fell around her, revealing the lacy black nightgown she was wearing. And fuck it was sexy as hell, one of the straps falling down her shoulder. Elio was far too tempted to kiss it... so he did. He placed one open-mouthed kiss on the bare skin while Annie moaned, a sound that went straight to his crotch.

"Things seemed to work out alright," he muttered huskily. Bloody hell, he was getting more turned on by the second. Seeing her in this little nightgown—the way it revealed her cleavage, the way it was hiked up so all of her thighs were viewable, the way he just knew her pert little ass peaked out the back—was driving him insane. As if she could sense where his mind was going, Annie squirmed underneath him, which definitely did nothing to help.

"Sorry," he rasped, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. "This isn't why I came here."

She raised an eyebrow at him and he was immediately reminded of one of the many reasons he was starting to love her. Despite her shyness, she wasn't afraid to call him out on his bullshit. And as the son of Theodore Nott, Elio Nott had a lot of bullshit. Annie might be quieter but that didn't mean she was going to take him without a challenge, even if said challenge was a little quieter. "And what was the reason you snuck into my bedroom at night?"

Elio cupped her cheek but he didn't dare lay back down. He didn't trust what would happen if he did. "I didn't like how our goodbye felt so final. And I wanted to hold you."

Annie sat up and that damn strap fell a little farther. Oh, fuck me. "Well then," she whispers, grabbing his hand with one of her own, inspecting the little lines on his palm as if they were important. Then, she looked up and he could have sworn he saw the same faint emotions that he felt glimmering in her eyes. But then she blinked and the walls were back up and they were gone. "You're not holding me."

Elio smiled and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her on his lap while the other cupped her cheek again. "You are so right, my little mouse. How terrible of me."

She giggled under her breath and looked down. Her hair fell like a waterfall over her face but Elio used his hand on her face to fasten it behind her ear. "About our goodbye..."

He frowned. "I hate those words when they're used together."

Annie bit her lip—which certainly didn't help his cock get any softer. "My family... I... It's hard... My house..." She sighed in frustration. "I just don't know if I can give you a relationship. Not like other girls."

Elio kissed her forehead gently. Annie's scent was so addicting. He wondered if they considered making it into a drug. He would certainly be an addict if they did. "Topolina, have I ever told you what I want?"

Now Annie was the one that frowned. He used his thumb to try and smooth the expression but she just flashed a small glare his way that made him grin. "No... what do you want?"

"You. Always you. Only you," he breathed. "Cara mia, whether that's a relationship or a lifetime, I will take whatever I can get from you. Whatever you offer, I will take. Whatever you give me, I will cherish. I am so damn in love with you that even one second holding you feels like a gift I am wholly unworthy of."

"Don't say that. I think you are worthy of a lot more than one measly second with me."

"How about a lifetime of them?" he teased, kissing her forehead again. Annie smiled gently at him and he nuzzled her nose in a way that made her giggle. "I'm serious, my love. Whatever issues we face—whether that's your family, your shyness, whatever—I will face them with you. I will stand beside you through heaven and hell because I. Love. You. I love you, Annie, and I can only hope to one day be worthy of your love in return."

She bit her lip. "It won't be easy. My father and my brother are... trying."

He smirked. "It's a good thing I'm an asshole who just won't quit."

"That's apparently my favorite kind," she said with a giggle. Merlin, he loved making her laugh. It was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.

Elio didn't realize he was subconsciously fidgeting with the sides of her nightgown until Annie let out a small giggle as she jerked away. He raised an eyebrow. "Is my little mouse ticklish?" he teased.

"No," she lied because as soon as one of his fingers poked her a little harder in her side, she laughed and tried to push him away. Soon, both of Elio's hands were playing the sides of her body like a piano while she giggled relentlessly. Annie attempted to push him away but he was much stronger and much larger than her. And when she herself tried to move, he simply followed until he was back on top of her, his hands running up and down her sides while both of hers pushed against his chest.

But the game quickly became dangerous when—in her attempt to push him off—Annie accidentally arched her body and pushed her pelvis into his. Elio couldn't control the groan that left his throat when she lifted into him. It was so damn natural and so damn good. His fingers stopped their pursuit and he just stared at her while she breathlessly gazed up at him.

"T-that," she stuttered, "That felt really good."

Fuck. Was this penance for all of his evil deeds in his life? To see her under him with a nightgown that barely stayed up on her while she breathlessly told him how good his dick felt, not able to do a single thing about it? This was fucking hell.

"Yeah," he strained, clenching his arms almost as tightly as his jaw while he attempted to name every Quidditch team in his mind. Bellycastle Bats... Holyhead Harpies... Cudley Canons... And Annie fucking rose into him again, her irises wide with a sort of amazement he had never seen before. Oh, Jesus Christ and all that is holy, she is going to kill me.

"Baby, you can't do that to me right now," he gritted.

She pouted and he wished—not for the first time—that he could put his dick on that full bottom lip and watch it wrap around his length. How had his thoughts gone from loving and innocent to dirty and passionate? It was only five minutes ago that Elio was imagining what it would be like to call her his wife and hold her all night long. Now he was sitting here with thoughts of fucking her against every surface of this bedroom with the windows open so everyone could hear how she screamed for him. Elio wanted to destroy her so badly that she couldn't walk in the morning before cleaning her up and tucking her in with a kiss on her forehead. Was he insane?

Oh, Elio Nott went very insane when Annie wriggled underneath him, her hips pressed up as she sought the same pleasure his dick had first provided her. "Topolina," he warned.

"Why?"

"Because my control is hanging by a minuscule thread and I'm trying to be a gentleman." That was an understatement. The thread was fucking invisible while his thoughts were far from gentlemanly.

Annie bit her lip and stared up at him. "What if I don't want you to be a gentleman?"

Holy. Shit.

Did she just really say that? This girl really was fucking perfect. Holy shit. Holy fuck. Holy shit.

Annie must have seen the blank look on his face because she laughed. "Are you going to stare or are you going to do something?"

He wasn't sure what bravery spell Annie had cast on herself but holy fuck was it wonderful. Elio wasted no time after that placing his lips on hers. His tongue darted out to wet the seam while his dick ground into her, showing her with a slow yet hard rhythm what he would do to her if she let him. One of his hands ran through her hair before stopping at her neck, gently squeezing while he moved back.

Annie's chest was heaving while she stared up at him with dark eyes that looked almost black in the dim lighting of the oil lamps. "Red means?"

"What?"

He squeezed her neck a little harder and her breath hitched. "Red means?"

"Stop," she breathed.

"Atta girl. Yellow means?"

"Slow down."

Elio leaned down to whisper in her ear, unable to resist sneaking in a nip. "And green means?"

"Go."

"Good girl," Elio whispered. He enjoyed the way he could feel her pounding pulse under his thumb. "You can tell me any color any time and it won't change a thing."

Annie nodded before replying, "Green. Definitely green."

"As you wish," he murmured before rolling his hips into her as his lips hungrily descended onto hers. Elio bit Annie's bottom lip and reveled as she moaned breathlessly. Yeah, he was definitely going to need to hear that for the rest of his life. Annie had one of those moans that was so light and airy but filled with need.

"Moan for me, cara mia," he mumbled as he sucked on her neck, kissing and biting until he was sure that he left a mark telling every other man to fuck off. "Let me hear all of your noises."

"E-Elio," she breathed, turning her head rapidly as his pelvis hit the spot he knew would drive her wild.

"Color?" he asked as he drove harder into her. He thanked his earlier self for having the good sense to change into pajama pants—they were thin enough to where he could feel her wetness every time he drove against her.

"Green."

She scratched her nails along his scalp—something that apparently drove both his mind and his dick wild—before using her grip on his hair to bring his lips back to hers. This time when they kissed, it was hungry. Feverish. Passionate.

Elio allowed one of his hands to roam down the side of her body before it stopped at the hem of her nightgown. The other one propped his weight on his elbow so he could kiss and thrust into her without crushing her with his large body.

Annie took this as permission to move one of her hands to his chest, where she fisted his shirt. "You have too many clothes."

Elio groaned before quickly breaking their kiss to rip his t-shirt over his head. She eyed him hungrily, staring at the abdominal, arm, and pectoral muscles he had worked so hard to build. "Am I to your satisfaction, my love?" he teased.

"Oh yes," Annie breathed. "Very satisfying indeed."

She grabbed onto the back of his neck and pulled him closer. Only this time when he thrust into her, Annie ran her nails down his back in a way that had his eyes rolling into the back of his head. "Fuck, Annie." He clenched one hand on her milky, smooth thigh—which felt fucking delicious.

She looked back at him and it was then that he noticed a nervous glint in her eyes. "Is that okay?"

He laughed breathlessly. "Is it okay? Cara mia, you could use and abuse me any way you wanted and I would still probably come in my pants. I'm trying very hard not to as is."

Her cheeks flushed. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"Well, then your instincts are fucking incredible because I have never been this turned out just from making out. It's like you put a spell on me."

She smiled softly. "I am a witch."

"A damn good one because you've enchanted me." Elio leaned down and kissed the column of her throat before deciding that one more love mark wouldn't hurt. Though his thrusts slowed, they didn't stop. "I meant what I said, mia topolina. You could say red or yellow and I would still be here to hold you all night long—well, after about ten minutes in the bathroom. Nothing would change."

"Elio," she whispered and he lifted his eyes to meet hers. Stars. A galaxy of them. "Green."

So he kissed her again like he was a starving man and she was a great feast laid before him. And while Elio kissed this girl, he understood something. He understood why everyone had spent so long trying to convince him that there was more than life to sex. Because he could have spent all night kissing Annie and it still would have been more satisfying than anything he had ever experienced. He had a feeling it could only get better from here.

His body pinned hers into the bed while his right hand roamed up and down. Touching the side of her breasts, stroking her thighs, never doing anything more. As dominant as his actions were, she was still the one in charge. Even while he devoured her kisses, she led the pace. Her hips slowly started to rise to meet his.

It wasn't long before she was gasping every time their cores met—a small, breathy sound that caught in her throat. Elio wanted to bottle that damn sound and listen to it on repeat. He had never been one to focus on a partner in bed but hearing that fucking noise—hearing how he affected her—made him feral.

They spent their time passionately kissing each other, Annie's nails exploring his back and scalp while his cock strained against his pants. "Elio," she moaned, pulling him closer with his hair. She could ask him to do anything in that breathless tone and he would beg to comply.

"Yes, my little mouse?"

"I..." She trailed off but he didn't push her. "I want more."

He stilled. "More."

She shook her head vehemently. "I need more."

"What do you need, baby?" Annie gasped when he rolled his hips harder into her.

"You. Please. Anything." Her words were incoherent as he felt her grow even wetter under his cock.

Fuck. He wanted more than anything to fuck her into oblivion but she wasn't ready for that. But you can still give her more, a voice inside his head whispered. In the past, Elio had not been a loving or giving partner. He could count on one hand how many times he had fingered a woman and he had never eaten one out. He was usually too busy getting pleasured by his partners to focus on them. But now? Now he wanted more than anything to watch how her eyes rolled in the back of her head while she screamed for him.

"Please, Elio," Annie whispered. And that was all he needed to shred whatever control he had.

He sat up over her, much to her disappointment if her small whimper was anything to go off of. Elio just grinned before sliding his hands down to the hem of the little black nightgown. "Remind me to buy you many of these," he grumbled and Annie giggled. But when he pulled up the soft skirt, he groaned.

Because innocent little Annie wasn't wearing fucking underwear.

"You really are fucking perfect," he whispered as he stared at her perfect pink pussy. The little curls surrounding it, the way it was glistening and waiting for him. "Holy shit, Annie."

She frowned. "What?"

He hated the insecurity on her face but he couldn't help the smile that overtook his face as he dipped a finger into her juices and smelled it on his fingers. Divine.

"I want to drown in your pussy. I think I want to spend every minute of the rest of my life inside it." Annie's face turned bright red and he laughed. "Trust me when I say: I am really going to enjoy this."

He kissed her one last time before his mouth slowly trailed kisses down the length of her body. He paused where her nipples pebbled through the fabric of the dress but resolved to give them proper attention another time. Right now, the smell of her slick was buried into his nose. He wouldn't rest until he was overdosing on it.

Annie writhed when he reached the edges of her core. A soft moan escaped her lips as he trailed soft kisses down, a sound that had his cock twitching in response. With strong hands, Elio spread her legs as he settled at the edge of the bed. The smell of her pussy was overwhelming down here and he fucking loved it. It made his head spin with an insatiable desire. This is mine, he thought as he inhaled. All fucking mine.

"You have such a pretty pussy, baby," he whispered against her clit, letting his warm breath tease her enough to make her wiggle. "I'm going to make you fall apart."

Elio looked up and made eye contact with her, his blue eyes asking hers, Are you sure?

And when Annie nodded breathlessly, Elio didn't hesitate to lean forward and lick her sweet pussy from her entrance to her clit. He practically came at the delicious taste of her juices. He felt like a man tasting sweet wine for the first time—drunk on heavenly nectar.

She gasped and clutched his hair, though neither of them broke eye contact as he continued to dive in—stroking, sucking, kissing, and lapping up every bit of her he could get. In a way, it felt more intimate to watch through her eyes as his tongue made her come apart. Annie's legs quivered and her back arched off the bed as Elio's strong hands held her down.

It wasn't until Elio began speaking to her that she started to scream. "Hai una figa così carina. Questa figa è mia, la mia topolina," he murmured against her folds. "Tu sei ciò di cui scrivono i poeti. Sei ciò che ispira gli artisti. Sei mio. Tutto mio."

"Elio!" Annie cried out, clutching at his hair in a way that was so painful it brought him pleasure. Between that and the little breathy noises she was making as the walls of her core clenched in on his tongue, he was struggling to stay together. Her voice was sultry yet light as she arched off the bed. His little goddess. His little mouse.

"Fuck, I want to hear you say my name all night long," he growled against her. The vibration of his deep voice reverberated against her clit and Annie whimpered. He smiled before sticking a finger in her tight channel. She gripped his hair and clenched around it, her moans becoming higher as she struggled to stay still. "You're doing so good, baby. So, so good."

He curled his finger inside of her, which made Annie move one of her hands from his head to her chest. She arched her back while holding onto her breasts. She's close, he realized as he watched her grab onto a nipple to bring herself all the way.

"Give it to me, Annie. Come for me," Elio purred. Thankful for the many years of working out and playing sports, Elio quickly began to curl and uncurl his finger inside of her, reveling in the way she moaned over and over every time he hit the spot. And when Elio's thumb moved to her clit, Annie's eyes rolled back into her head and he watched as she reached new heights.

While she was coming apart, Elio removed his fingers and walked over to grab his t-shirt from across the room. She was finally coming back down to Earth when he started to wipe her thoroughly, taking his time to get every drop off of her. It wasn't a towel or washcloth but it was the best he had—plus he could keep that shirt and never wash it again so her scent would always linger.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a quick peck to her lips as soon as he noticed the stars enter her eyes again.

"Amazing," she breathed. Then, she blushed fiercely, which confused him.

"No sense in getting shy now, My Little Mouse. I think we're a little past that now." He smiled and kissed her forehead, which made her lips lift in return. Elio wasn't sure he would ever tire of seeing that look on her face.

He fixed her nightgown before pulling back the covers and settling underneath them. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Annie turned to face him and nestled herself in his embrace. Elio felt his heart swell as he thought about many nights spent just like this. His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her forehead one last night. "Goodnight, my Annie."

She sighed and nuzzled in further. "Goodnight, my Elio."

Elio had never been one to believe in prayers or fate or even love. He had never believed in a life doing anything other than fucking random women and drinking himself into oblivion. But as he held Annie in his arms, as he thought about the way the stars in her eyes twinkled while her cheeks flushed with pleasure, as he smelled the sweet scent of vanilla in the air, he realized that his life was always missing something. And as Elio fell into a peaceful sleep with thoughts of the future on his mind, was so thankful to have found it.

This bad boy was LOOOONNGGGG. But I told y'all it would be worth the wait because we not only had a super long chapter but also our first spicy scene! Our Annie is a freak in the sheets, I'm telling you. And every time Elio confesses his feral feelings for her I think I'm going to burst. Please let me know what you think. I always love reading your comments :))