Hi, everyone! I know it's been quite a while since my last update, but I haven't given up on this story yet! Thank you so so so much for your continued support and I really hope you like this chapter! Please let me know what you think!
Charlie was practically vibrating with excitement. It wasn't quite time to get up yet-if he did, the coffee would be cold before Hermione joined him. He didn't want to just sit in the kitchen without coffee, either, not when he could stay in bed for a little longer. Still, time seemed to be ticking by incredibly slowly.
He'd tossed and turned all night, Hermione having been whisked away after dinner by Ginny and not coming back downstairs for the whole evening. He'd sat by the fire until almost everyone else had gone to bed, distractedly nodding along with the idle conversation, barely even hearing what everyone had been talking about. This had never happened to him before, this total consumption of his mind by a single person. He'd had flings and one night stands and even the odd relationship over the years and sure, he'd liked those people well enough, but this was different.
Every time he'd almost drifted off to sleep, he'd begin to wonder what she was up to. Had she gone to sleep early? Was she awake, too, reading her stack of books? Was she thinking about him? He couldn't help but wonder, and the thoughts rushing around in his head made it impossible for him to actually get any sleep. He felt like he'd once felt on Christmas Eve, so eager for the next morning that the night seemed to drag on for ages.
Charlie refused to allow himself to think about what would happen in January, when hols were over and they both had to go back to their daily lives. If he allowed himself to dwell on it he became sick to his stomach-he just wanted to enjoy the time he did have with Hermione without worrying about what would happen next. Sneaking around with all his family around would be difficult, he knew, but if Hermione didn't want to tell anyone, he could respect that. After all, she'd dated his baby brother and was best friends with his sister. There was a lot at stake for her here, too-maybe even more than there was for Charlie, if he was being honest.
He wasn't about to allow the reality of what was next to ruin what they had now, though. Charlie would gladly take everything that Hermione was willing to give to him, even if it meant that he'd never see her again. He knew that he'd regret it if he didn't, even if having her and then losing her would hurt. Even if he'd be lying awake like this every night, imagining what she could be up to.
Charlie groaned and rolled out of bed, running his hands through his hair and stretching gently. He couldn't just lie there anymore. It was almost time to get up now, anyway, and he hoped that brewing the coffee would distract him a bit.
He'd just finished pouring the coffee when Hermione tip-toed into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around him from behind and catching him by surprise. Charlie gasped, startled, and spun in her arms to find her smirking up at him, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Morning," Charlie murmured, his voice still rough, and she answered him by leaning up on her toes and pressing her mouth to his.
Merlin, he swore that as long as he lived he would never tire of the taste of her lips. She was warm and pliant against him in the chill of the kitchen, her palms gliding up his chest so that she could curl her fingers into his hair. His chest swelled with affection as he tightened his arms around her and she inhaled softly through her nose, pulling him forward as she leaned against the wall behind her.
He wasted no time pressing his body against hers, her soft curves trapped between him and the wall at her back. Charlie released her body, smoothing his hands down her sides as he kissed her slow, unhurried. He liked to think they had all the time in the world, that he could take his time learning her and breathing in her scent.
Her sharp little teeth nipped him, then, and he wasn't quick enough to stifle the grunt that fell from his lips. Charlie pressed into her a bit more just as she wound her arms around his shoulders to pull him closer, the two of them moving in sync until-
"Wait," Charlie panted, pulling his mouth free of hers and swallowing hard. His heart was pounding and she was filling all of his senses so completely that he'd almost forgotten. "We… we should talk about this, yeah? I mean, this is bloody fantastic, don't get me wrong, but I-"
Hermione only laughed softly and unwound herself from him, brushing a peck to his lips and moving past him to take her seat at the table. He took a deep breath and joined her, sitting close enough that he could still bask in her presence. She sipped at her coffee, looking amused and seemingly waiting for him to start the conversation.
"I hardly slept last night," he said, trying to ease into the conversation without being so damn awkward. He'd snogged her more than once, now, and Charlie wasn't usually this inarticulate. He was out of his depth here, both with the woman before him and with his own feelings, and a shyness that he wasn't accustomed to was making things even more difficult. "I was, uh. I was looking forward to this. Talking to you, I mean." He felt himself flush slightly.
"I was awake, too," Hermione confessed. "Up reading again, I can't help it. I've got new books and I don't have work in the morning. If I'd known you were up, too, we could have kept each other company."
Charlie swallowed thickly, the thought of them curled up together in the low light, her nose buried in a book as she lay beside him, filling his mind. His brain seemed determined to torture him with every sweet, warm, domestic scenario it could conjure.
"I'm sorry if you're upset," Hermione continued, her voice softer now. "About me not wanting to tell anyone about… this, that is. I just-this is so new and if we're not careful, Mum will be planning a double wedding for the summer instead. Besides, we won't get another second alone if everyone knows. We can… we can talk about it more after the New Year, is that okay?" She tilted her chin up a bit so that she could meet his eyes.
"Of course that's okay, love," he assured her, relief settling into his chest right next to a knot of nerves. Charlie was almost certain that she wouldn't want to continue this past the holidays, not with what little he had to offer to her, but they could cross that bridge when they got to it. Until then, he was going to let himself enjoy Hermione as much as possible. He gently took the mug from her hands and set it down firmly on the table before leaning in to enjoy her a little more.
If anyone noticed that Hermione suddenly sat next to Charlie most of the time, they didn't mention it or even throw a knowing look his way. Every brush of her hand against his, every press of her thigh as they sat close on the sofa, felt so charged with electricity that he swore he could feel it crackling in the air around them.
That evening, Charlie finally caught her alone in the hallway outside his bedroom. He quickly pulled her just inside and dipped his head, kissing her chastely. He reveled in her tiny sigh and ran his fingertips along her jaw as she opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
"I've been waiting to do that all day," he murmured, and Hermione hummed in agreement. Her hands were pressed against his chest, her fingers curled into his tee shirt, and he leaned his forehead against hers. He wanted so badly to ask her to stay with him tonight, to have her soft body pressed against him and her hair splayed across his pillow as they slept, but he knew it was too risky. Someone was bound to notice if Hermione didn't turn up for bed at all-not that it was unusual for her to fall asleep curled up on the sofa with a book in her hand, but if anyone went looking for her there would be a problem.
Instead, he allowed himself one more moment of her, brushing his lips across hers softly. "Good night, Hermione," he breathed, stepping back from her.
"Good night, Charlie," she replied, sounding as breathless as he felt, her cheeks flushed. Hermione flashed him one last smile and he closed the door behind her to keep himself from pulling her back in again. He felt like a teenager again, his heart fluttering in his chest from just a few kisses.
Around midnight, Charlie found himself much in the same predicament that he'd been the night before, except this time he knew that Hermione was awake somewhere in the house, too. He tossed and turned in his bed, suddenly lamenting sleeping alone.
Frustrated, he pushed himself up to standing and stalked into the bathroom, closing the door a little too hard behind him. Charlie turned on the tap and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Fuck, he was a mess. He scooped up some of the water and patted it onto his face, shuddering at the cool water on his skin. As he dried his face with a towel, he willed himself to take a few deep breaths. He was so wound up from all of the anticipation and the secrecy and the thrill of it all that he couldn't seem to make himself relax.
After a few minutes, Charlie checked his reflection one more time, scrubbed his fingers through his hair, and headed back to bed.
He stepped into his bedroom, closing the door behind him before noticing that his lamp was on. He was pretty sure that it hadn't been on when he'd left-and Hermione Granger was in his bed, propped up against his headboard with a thick book on her bent knees. For a moment, Charlie was sure that he was dreaming, but then her eyes flicked up to meet his and her mouth curled into a smile.
"I heard you go into the bathroom," she explained, closing her book and sitting up, his blanket pooling around her waist. "I thought maybe I could keep you company?"
Charlie crossed the room in two quick steps, settling himself on the edge of the bed. He was sure he looked idiotic with the way he couldn't stop grinning at her. "How'd you know it was me?"
Hermione flushed, looking down and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I, er-I didn't know, exactly," she explained quickly. "I… well, I suppose I hoped it was you, so I came down to check and when I knocked on your door you didn't answer so I came in and you weren't here. So I waited for you." She met his eyes again with a shy smile.
"And what would you have done if I'd been in here and answered the door?" Charlie asked, scooting closer to her and swinging his legs up onto the bed.
"I was planning to tell you that I'd had a nightmare," she replied, flushing deeper still. Charlie reached out to tuck more of her hair behind her ear and smiled fondly at her. She looked so damn cute here in his bed with that flush on her cheeks and he was suddenly overcome with affection for her. He leaned in and pressed their lips together, sighing softly as she melted into him.
"I'm so glad you're here," he murmured, kissing her gently between words. "I've been up half the night thinking about you up there in your bed with a stack of books piled next to you. What, uh… what are you reading about right now?"
Hermione giggled, continuing to return his kisses as she closed the book in her lap. "Promise you won't laugh at me?" she asked, and Charlie nodded. "I'm re-reading Hogwarts: A History."
He couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him, and Hermione smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "You promised you wouldn't laugh!" she scolded despite the smile on her face.
"Sorry, sorry!" Charlie responded, rubbing his shoulder as if she'd hurt him with her little slap. "It's just… even I remember you toting that book around with you all the time as a kid. I wasn't even around that much and I remember. How many times have you read it?"
"Oh, I have no idea. I lost count ages ago." She flushed as she spoke. "I know it's silly, but it was the first magical book I'd ever read and I have so many fond memories of Hogwarts. It's comforting to me."
Charlie leaned in and kissed her forehead fondly. "Don't be embarrassed, love," he whispered. "I think it's cute. I'm sorry I laughed at you." He kissed her nose and she scrunched it up, smiling at him.
"I suppose I can forgive you," she teased. Charlie laughed again, grabbing the closed book off of her lap and placing it on his bedside table. The light from his lamp illuminated her face just enough that he could see the light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheekbones. Hermione scrunched up her nose again. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, her voice softer now, and it made his heart flutter.
"You're so beautiful," he breathed, leaning his forehead against hers. "Do you know that? Do you have any bloody clue how enamored I've been with you ever since I saw you sitting on the counter the night I walked in with my hand bleeding all over the kitchen floor?" Her eyes widened a bit and her breath hitched, but he didn't stop. "Then the way you patched me up like it was nothing… you were incredible. You are incredible. Can I… can I maybe keep kissing you? Would that be okay?"
She nodded, breathless, and Charlie wasted no time pressing himself against her and kissing her deeply. A little surprised sound squeaked out of her and he chuckled against her mouth, sliding one hand into her curls to cup the back of her head and angling it so that he could dip his tongue into her mouth. That made her gasp and curl her fingers into his shirt. Charlie growled softly, the sound rumbling against her lips, and she broke the kiss to gasp.
"Tell me if I'm moving too fast," he murmured, trailing his lips down her jaw bone and making her shiver. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. We don't have to do anything at all, I'm just so glad you're even here. We can just kiss, or… or I can just hold you for a bit, or-"
"Charlie," Hermione breathed, her eyes dancing with amusement when he looked into them. "Relax." He let out the breath he'd been holding and laughed nervously. "I'm supposed to be the overthinker, not you, okay? Just… keep kissing me, please."
Charlie knew he couldn't have denied her if he'd wanted to. Instantly their lips met again and the heat between them made him feel like he was about to burst into flame. Suddenly her little hands were everywhere-running down his back, up his chest, over his arms, into his hair. She gripped his hair in her fingers and tugged and he couldn't stop himself from groaning, sinking his teeth into her bottom lip to try to muffle the sound.
"I had a suspicion," Hermione breathed after he released her lip and began kissing down to her neck. "When I was cutting your hair, you… seemed to like me playing with it, so I wanted to test my theory."
"Leave it to you to make this academic," Charlie teased, pressing his mouth to a place just below her ear that made her shiver. She laughed at him. "Creating and testing theories. Are there any other theories I should know about?
"I may have a few in the works," she teased right back at him, surprising him a little. "But you'll have to figure them out for yourself. Research is very important, you know."
He chuckled against her skin, and she shivered again. The way she responded to him was intoxicating, each small movement echoed with her own body against him. He couldn't tell whether she was going on past experience or whether she was simply a quick learner, and he pushed the thought away as soon as it occurred. None of that mattered–all that mattered was that she was right here, right now, beneath his hands and in the flesh.
Charlie's mind reeled as his senses were overwhelmed with Hermione, her scent and the softness of her skin and the little sounds she was making as she moved against him. His hands glided down her sides, coming to rest on her hips and gripping them tightly. Hermione squeaked softly at the sensation, clinging to him tightly.
"You sound so good," he breathed against her slightly parted lips, both of them panting softly. "I just want to make you feel good, sweetheart. Can you let me do that?"
Hermione nodded, suddenly tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Okay," she agreed, softly. "But I want to see you first."
Charlie shed his shirt in one swift motion, tossing it to the floor to reveal his stocky-but-muscular and scarred torso to her. He wasn't bashful about his body–it was built exactly the way he needed it to be and he had yet to hear a single complaint. Still, his heart fluttered in his chest for a fraction of a second. This wasn't just anyone trailing soft fingertips through the smattering of ginger hair on his chest. This was Hermione.
He shivered as her fingers skated along a thick, long scar on his torso. "Baby Romanian Longhorn," he said softly, chuckling when her eyebrows shot upwards. "Shocking, I know, that we get the odd occupational hazard on the Dragon Reserve." Charlie's tone was light and teasing and Hermione half-smiled up at him.
He grinned at her, his eyes glittering, and then leaned down to trace the tip of his nose along the soft line of her jaw. Hermione's breath caught slightly and he smiled, pressing his lips to her neck. "Fuck," he sighed as she arched against him. "Can I take your shirt off too?"
Hermione nodded and he wasted no time, desperate to see her and feel her. Charlie pushed her shirt up and then tugged it over her head, tossing it to the floor beside his own. All the air rushed out of his lungs like he'd been punched in the gut–she was, quite literally, breathtaking, and he didn't hesitate to tell her.
A pink flush spread across her cheeks and nose and down her chest, her skin glowing in the low light. Another image that he knew would be burned into his memory for eternity.
"Hermione," he sighed, kissing her lips softly and relishing the way she softened further against him. "Get on top of me, sweetheart."
Charlie braced her against his chest with one arm and flipped them over so that he was on his back beneath her. She pushed the heels of her palms against his chest and sat up, her curls frizzing around her head. There was heat in her eyes as she looked down at him, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, her breasts bared to him. Fuck, he wished he could paint.
He curled his hands around her hips, guiding her to straddle him. Charlie arched his back, moaning, as she settled against him, grinding herself against his aching cock through their pyjama pants. He held her still for a moment, gripping her tight as he pressed his hips upward before settling back down on the bed, panting.
Sitting up straighter, Hermione moaned softly and rolled her hips experimentally, drawing a shuddering breath from the man below her and a louder moan from her own throat. "Does that feel good?" Charlie rumbled, sliding his hands from her hips down to her thighs.
"Yes," she breathed, nodding her head frantically. "Does it feel good for you?"
He responded by bucking his hips up into her again. "Do you feel how hard I am for you, Hermione? Of course it fucking feels good. You feel incredible."
She leaned down to kiss him, then, and he responded to her eagerly. Hermione was teasing him, rocking her hips with quick, tiny motions and running her tongue along the roof of his mouth.
Charlie slid his hands back up her thighs to her waist, and then higher to cup her breasts in his calloused palms. Hermione whimpered, sitting up slightly to give him better access. His cock throbbed against her as he squeezed them softly, brushing his thumbs over her nipples and making her squirm under his touch.
His hips bucked upward, suddenly, drawing a shuddering breath from her lungs. "Charlie," she gasped, and the soft sound of his name on her lips sent a tingle all the way down his spine. Charlie moved his hands back to her hips for a moment to slow them, showing her how to roll her hips and press down against him in long, languid motions. Once she found her rhythm he grasped her breasts again and she tilted her head back with a sigh.
"Fuck," he grunted, pleasure prickling across his flesh and making him shiver. She was warm and soft and eager above him, her nipples hardening under his touch and her cunt grinding desperately against his hard cock. "Fuck," he swore again. His brain was short-circuiting.
Hermione was panting softly, her breathing labored and little whimpers escaping her, and Charlie had never heard a sweeter sound. He rolled her hardened nipples between his calloused fingertips and her voice went higher still, desperation creeping into the sounds she was making for him.
"Hermione," he breathed, trailing off into a low groan as she flexed her hips against his. "You're so bloody beautiful like this, I can't—I don't know how much longer I can…"
She arched her back then, pressing her tits into his hands and grinding down hard against his cock, and they moaned in unison. "I'm–" Hermione managed, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. "Charlie, I'm so close, please, I…"
His chest swelled and he moved his hands back to her hips, using his strong arms to set a pace that had her tilting her head back and biting her lip to keep from moaning too loud. For a moment he cursed the fact that they were in the Burrow–he wanted to hear her, wanted her to let go and make all the sounds she wanted. He wanted to hear her moan and beg and cry out his name when he made her cum.
Instead, she bit her lip and arched her back, her body going rigid as she pressed her hot cunt down against him. He could feel the heat of her even through both of their pyjama pants, and he bucked upward into her again. Watching her come apart above him like that was enough to send him over the edge not too long after, his fingertips gripping her hips just a little too tight and her name a whispered mantra on his lips.
Hermione collapsed against him, both of them panting, and buried her face against his neck. Her frizzy hair tickled his face and he wrapped both arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "Fuck, Hermione," he panted, chuckling warmly. "That was incredible. You're incredible."
She giggled and looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. "That was incredible," she agreed, her voice soft and sleepy. Hermione leaned down and brushed her lips against his, a little shiver running through him as he kissed her back, slow and deep.
After a few more moments she rolled off of him, whispering a spell to clean them both up and then cuddling up against his side and tucking her face back against his neck. He could feel her soft breaths against his skin and his heart ached. "Stay with me," he whispered, his arm moving to pull her tighter against him. "Please."
Hermione only nodded, and Charlie turned off the light with a flick of his wand.