AEB: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey.”

~ Marcel Proust (French novelist)

That night, Hermione waited patiently for Draco to come to bed. She was burning with anticipation on the inside-this was their first night together after three years after all-but she didn’t show it.

When Draco finally stepped out of the shower, clad in his silk pajamas, he smiled at her a bit sheepishly as he climbed onto the bed.

 “If I’d known you were going to take this long, I would have invited myself in there,” Hermione teased, realizing that he was just as nervous-perhaps more so-than she was.

Draco shrugged. “I wasn’t in for too long-“ and then smirked, “So impatient.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist as she rose to straddle his hips. Leaning down she met his lips and he ravished her with deep kisses, making her moan.

“God I’ve missed this,” she whispered. “You taste so good-“

“Mmm..less talk, more snogging,” Draco cut in, threading his fingers through her hair and pressing her closer.

His hands soon left her waist to unbutton her cotton shirt and she helped him slip it off her. His warm hands pressed against her stomach then glided to her chest to cup her breasts. He kissed her jaw and worked his way down her throat, removing her bra in the process.

She lowered her hips when his tongue teased her nipples and pressed against him, making him jerk in surprise beneath her. Hermione smiled. He was still as sensitive as ever.

“Such a tease,” he breathed as she curled her fingers through the blonde strands against his neck.  He pushed her off him only to loom atop her and resume his exploration. With one deft tug, he pulled off her pajama pants and slipped his fingers beneath the band of her knickers.

Hermione licked her lips, admiring how the golden light illuminated Draco’s pale features, highlighting the faint blush on his high cheekbones. She tugged him down by the collar even as her legs drew apart to invite his long fingers.  She kissed him, forcing her tongue against his and biting lightly.

Raising her head slightly, she reached down to unbutton his shirt and was about to pull it off his shoulder when he froze, going stiff under her touch. Hermione opened her eyes in alarm.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, noting his hard eyes and taunt lips. “Did I hurt you?”

He shook his head, drawing away and she sat up, inspecting him. He held his shirt close, his hands trembling slightly.

“Draco, what’s wrong?” she softly asked when he avoided her gaze.

He bit his lip, as though debating whether or not to tell her, before sighing. “I-I don’t want to take my clothes off.”

She looked at him thoughtfully and the color deepened on his cheeks. Feeling something twist inside her, Hermione crawled towards him and knelt in front of him till her eyes peered into his.

“You don’t have to hide from me anymore,” she said, gently taking his hands in hers and giving them a gentle squeeze. “I know, Draco, and I’m not going to turn away.”

“Hermione-“ he began, but she shushed him, ignoring the fear that danced in his eyes when she reached to push his shirt off. He closed his eyes as she took his shirt off. Even in the dim light the bruises stood out clearly against his porcelain skin.

There weren’t too many, but there were enough to overshadow the faint scars on his chest. She touched a particularly large one on his right rib cage and felt him shudder.

“Does it hurt?” she whispered.

He opened his eyes, seeming resigned to his fate. “Not much.”

He sat absolutely still as her fingers lightly brushed over each one. Her lips followed them, laying soft kissed down his stomach, to his shoulders, and the small of his back. Her hands stilled on his waistband.

“Take them off,” she softly said and he looked at her for a moment, before slowly moving to obey. He slipped the pants down his slender legs, revealing faint bruises on his thighs and shins.

“I hate looking at myself,” he admitted, dropping next to her with a sigh. She gave him a somewhat weak smile, a little shocked at his admission, before crawling over his legs like a cat.

“I rather like your powder white skin,” she purred, “I like seeing the marks my lips and teeth leave on you-“

Draco’s eyes grew wide when she nipped at his jaw. He smiled thinly when her warm breath ghosted over his ear, tickling him. Her hands roamed over the expanse of his chest, trailing feathery feathers around his nipples and tracing his jutting hip bones.

She sucked on his Adam’s apple, hearing his breath quicken when her hands cupped his jutting erection. He swallowed thickly, gasping when her tongue swirled around him. He clenched his jaw, stifling his moans. 

He’d forgotten how good she was with her mouth.

Hermione drew away when she felt him tense, straddling his waist again.

“I want you, Draco,” she whispered, wrapping her arms about his shoulders.

He leaned back against the headboard, steadying her waist as she guided him to her before slowly lowering herself. They couldn’t help but moan in pleasure. Draco was overwhelmed by the sensation of having her warmth around him. She was as tight as always.

Hermione sat still till her body adjusted to accommodate him. The pain didn’t linger and she began moving her hips slowly, using Draco’s shoulder to steady herself. Her hair curtained them when she bent down to kiss him. Draco kissed her back fiercely, his fingers digging into her hips as she rode him.

They were both panting hard. The bed creaked loudly under them.

“Oh god! You feel so good!” Hermione cried.

Draco merely attacked her slender neck, intent on leaving a trail of kisses with his teeth. He grabbed her hair and tugged, exposing more of her neck, making her gasp, and moan, and cry for more.

It wasn’t long till the heightened sensations pushed her over the edge and Draco followed her. She felt him tighten and then cum with a hoarse cry. Hermione cradled his head to her chest as they caught their breaths. She was surprised to realize she was crying. She took a deep breath, suppressing the tears and kissed his blonde head, feeling him relax in her arms.

“Alright?” she asked and he nodded, giving her a watery smile of his own.

She got off him and lay in his arms pressed to his side. Draco reached down and pulled up the blanket to cover them both. He lay down, his head on Hermione’s pillow and the turned to face each other.

“I missed this,” he smiled, brushing brown curls off her face.

She smiled back, unable to voice just how happy she was to hold him. He closed his eyes, breathing out softly.

“Tired?” Hermione whispered, brushing blonde bangs from his eyes.

“Hmm…” His features seemed to relax as he sighed. In moments, his lips half parted and his breath evened out as he succumbed to sleep. Hermione lay watching him for a time, hating just how exhausted he looked. 

Up close, she could see the faint circles under his eyes and his prominent features. Draco had always been lean, but now he looked vulnerable…delicate even.

His thin shoulders didn’t look strong enough to bear the burden of his illness. He didn’t look strong enough to fight whatever demon had cursed him. Hermione let the tears fall as she held his hand and stroked his colorless cheek.

She couldn’t imagine a life without him. She couldn’t imagine Aiden growing up without his father. He needed him-she needed him.

“I won’t give up,” she whispered. “I won’t let you go.”

And, as though he’d heard her, Draco’s lips twitched into a semblance of a faint smile.