Pleasure

~ Pleasure ~

Sometime in the middle of the night, between dreams filled with Severus' fingers, tongue and other newly-desired male body parts, Hermione awoke to realize that the heat pooling between her legs was not the result of another dream. Instead, it was Severus who was slowly drawing her to him with delicately circling fingers. As she stirred beneath his touch, he nuzzled her neck from behind and murmured into her ear.

"I hope I didn't wake you."

"Mmmm...," she replied, enjoying the half-awake desirous state she found herself in.

"Because if you'd rather go back to sleep, I can comply." Severus withdrew his hand and cuddled her close instead.

Hermione twisted in his arms. "Mmmm, no, was what I meant ... I mean, you did wake me, but I'd rather not go back to sleep."

Facing him in the dark, she could just make out the outline of his nose and the dark circles where his eyes were no doubt trying to penetrate the darkness. She tilted her head upward and kissed the corner of his mouth, encouraging him to continue whatever he had been meaning to start.

"Mm-hmm," he replied suggestively. "Then, what would you rather be doing?"

His right hand traced the curvature of her spine until it rested upon the rounded flesh of her bottom. He tucked her body closer and hooked one leg around her uppermost thigh. Caressing her bum and then slowly inserting his fingers between the softness of her inner thighs, he resumed the activity that had awoken her.

Her heart beat a few beats faster, wiping even the memory of sleep from her mind. She nearly forgot that he had said something and was awaiting a response.

"I'd much rather be doing this," she said.

Well, that wasn't completely honest. There was a lot more than just this she'd rather be doing. Taking his cue, she let her left hand wander across his chest blindly.

"And this," she added as her hand reached the soft down below his belly button and brushed against the tip of his erection. Angling her fingertips downward, she crept down his length and cradled the soft sac lower down. "And this."

"Mmmm," he replied predictably.

From where she was cradled against his body, she was able to place her lips against the base of his throat without stretching upward. Gently, she extricated herself from his embrace and rolled him onto his back. In the darkness, she let her hands slide from his shoulders to his chest, thumbs feeling for the small, tight peaks. When she found them, her mouth descended upon one and suckled it between her lips.

"Thank you," she murmured as she abandoned one nipple for the much softer other.

Severus didn't reply immediately; instead, he let her give his other nipple its due attention. Then, he placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to sit up, drawing her upward to meet his waiting lips. When she pulled in the opposite direction, placing a kiss in the slight-concavity of his breastbone and continued in a southerly direction, he dropped back onto the bed.

"Whatever are you thanking me for?" he murmured, sending vibrations through her lips as her lips brushed across his diaphragm.

"Well, one, for being my knight in shining armor earlier tonight." She nipped lightly at the tender skin just below his ribcage. "Two, for letting me stay here until I find my own place." His navel retracted as her tongue rimmed the edge. "But, most notably, three, for showing me what a mind-blowing orgasm feels like."

At this point, her chin bumped into his waiting erection, and she angled her head to take him into her mouth. He moaned as her tongue flicked just under the edge and swept around to the fuller side of the head. Carefully, she let the tip slide in until she felt the ridge go past her lips. He didn't taste too terribly, though he certainly tasted like something, considering what they had been doing just a few hours earlier. She wondered if some of what she tasted on him was what she tasted like.

Severus' hand stilled the actions of her lips and tongue and stopped her head from descending further. "I don't want you to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing."

Wrapping her hand around the base of his shaft, her lips released him in order to answer. "I want to do this. I know this is ... um, well, a lot more than I'm used to, but I'm not adverse to the idea."

He chuckled at her admission. "If a certain someone weren't involved in your wealth of experience, I may be curious as to how much more. As it is, I'm not curious at all."

"Hmmph," she responded, her mouth already having resumed its activity.

Both of Severus' hands rested on her head, but neither made any effort to guide her technique or her pace. He left it totally up to her, for which she was infinitely grateful. He was certainly a mouthful, especially since she had been cursed with a relatively small mouth...something Harry used to always complain about, she reminded herself.

Shaking her head to dislodge the self-defeating thoughts, she then reminded herself that he was probably comparing her mouth to Ron's gargantuan spread, and she choked through not paying enough attention to the task at hand. Severus groaned above her, giving her an idea.

Letting her hand take over while she calmed her gag reflex, she planned her next line of attack. A few deep breaths through her nose, and she felt ready for what she wanted to do. She kept the slow movement of her hand going, hoping that would make up for what her skill lacked. Then, she let her mouth sink over him again. This time, she opened her throat mid-yawn and pulled him in deeper. When the tip of his head butted against the back of her throat, instead of gagging, she swallowed, constricting her throat around his head. Then, she released him and pulled back, winding her tongue around him a couple times, readying herself for another go.

She set up a rhythm this way, between her hand and her yawning-swallowing technique and the swirl of her tongue. And Severus was by no means silent amidst it all. He was, in fact, quite vocal, urging her onward, letting her know that what she was doing was very pleasing. At some point, he had taken his hands from her head and buried them into the sheets. It had significantly taken the stress off her scalp, for he had started to wind his fingers rather painfully in her curls. She had more than a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to keep from asking more from her than she was ready to give.

"Hermione ... Ah, Hermione ... Hermione ...?"

She realized that she had become hypnotized by the rhythm almost a little too late. As she raised her head to ask "What?" her chin was showered with the proof that what she had been doing was indeed quite pleasurable for him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, letting her hand finish what her mouth had begun, soothing him, feeling his pleasure abate in the darkness.

Then, feeling bold and more than a little curious, she gathered her hair back with one hand and leant over to taste what still remained on the tip of his slowly softening flesh. It wasn't bad, certainly much different than Harry tasted ... better even.

"Mmmm ...," he groaned.

"Now, now," she scolded. "That's what got us into this mess in the first place."

He laughed outright at that, which made her sit up abruptly, not having remembered ever hearing him laugh before. Chuckle, yes; laugh, no. She heard him fumbling at the side of the bed, mumble a cleansing spell, and then toss the wand with a clatter to the floor. She yelped as he yanked her down to lay with him, nestling her in his arms.

"Now, it's my turn to say 'Thank you,'" he said as she burrowed into his embrace.

"Whatever for? You did the same for me. Turn about's fair play."

"All the same, it was perfect. I wasn't sure you'd feel okay doing something like that ... so soon." He added the last bit quietly.

She knew he didn't want to bring up Harry and what brought her to be in his rooms, but it had to be talked about sometime. There was no need to begin this relationship...if that's what indeed this was...by being afraid to talk to each other about things.

"Don't worry about me," she said thoughtfully. "I think I had been miserable in that situation for so long that I detached myself years ago. I just didn't realize it until tonight. I know I don't have the experiences I could have had if..."

"Experience is not what it's all about, Hermione," he interrupted. "It's determination and willingness. You definitely have plenty of that. I'm glad that he didn't take that from you as well."

"Yes. Well, I didn't feel very willing when I was with him. I started to doubt myself. I guess I sort of assumed that I would feel the same way with anyone else as I did with him," she confessed.

"Well, do you?"

"Oh, gods, how can you ask me such a question? Of course not! I cannot even begin to express how alive you've made me feel tonight. I have felt things I don't even remember feeling before with Harry. I mean, for starters, you don't force me to do anything. You are just as concerned about my pleasure as you are yours. I can honestly say that I do not remember Harry ever giving me an orgasm." She sighed.

"You know what, Hermione? I'm beginning to feel sorry that I didn't spoon-feed that boy's arse to Voldemort when I had the chance."

She giggled and hugged him to her more tightly. "You know what, Severus? If Voldemort hadn't been the scourge of the wizarding world, I almost wish you would have."

"Mmmm ...," he concurred. "Glad that's settled."

"You know what else, Severus?"

"No, I don't know what else, but I expect you are about to tell me," he said.

"I'm feeling very unsettled," she said, hoping he'd catch the lilt in her voice.

"Oh, really?"

She felt him twitch against her hip and smiled. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of fixing it myself, but..."

Severus growled and flipped her onto her back. "Not a chance," he answered right before he captured her mouth with his, devouring her with fresh passion.

She could almost taste the flavor of his mood.

A/N: Just a little something for you all. The developing (sexual) relationship between the two. The 'getting to know you' phase, as it were. Soon, I'm afraid, Harry must be confronted. I just couldn't leave the fun part too quickly, you know ...