Chapter 40

Severus had been so apoplectic at the behaviour of the two boys in his house, he was barely aware of the hours going past. By the time he'd finally deemed the boys' letters to be acceptable, escorted them to the Hospital Wing and then the owlery before leading them back down to the dungeons, it was almost eleven o'clock.

Severus looked at his fob watch with a rush of panic once the boys were safely ensconced back in the Slytherin lair. She'd said one hour! Cursing himself, and the two evil little brats he'd just had to waste his evening on, he fled through the grounds to reach a place where he could Apparate safely to Spinner's End.

As he fled across the school ground, the dread began to creep into his stomach. She'd given him an ultimatum, and he'd failed to turn up. She may well never forgive him for that. She'd laid herself emotionally bare, took a big risk, and had specifically given him one hour, or she'd never contact him again. Severus' stomach lurched. Had he blown it? Had he blown his chance for happiness by punishing two pathetic little dunderheads for their cruelty? He shuddered with apprehension before Apparating with a smooth pop.

* * *

Sarah had fallen into a fitful sleep on her sofa with her cat on her lap, the tears still damp on her face. She still wore her seductresses outfit, slippers and all.

Bernard shifted position on her knees, standing upright, apparently alerted by something in the other room. The movement and shift in weight caused her to open her eyes. Bernard was staring at the open door which led into the black of the kitchen, the slits of his pupils dilated massively. His tail was flicking from side to side in agitation.

"Bernard, what is it?" she mumbled, squinting in the light.

Bernard's tail continued to flick, and he let out a little growl.

"What, is it that bloody grey cat again?"

She saw Bernard's heckles rising as his hair began to stand up along his back. It wasn't unknown for other cats in the neighbourhood to try their luck by sneaking through the cat flap to steal food; Bernard usually won these territorial encounters, however, and was vocal enough normally to keep the most persistent offenders out.

Seeing that her old cat made no attempt to move, but continued to make strange growling sounds anyway, she moved him off her lap with a sigh and walked into the dark kitchen, expecting to find the cheeky grey Persian from down the road. To her chagrin, there was nothing there. She frowned. She was just about to turn back into the lounge when she felt warm breath on her neck.

"Forgive me," breathed the familiar baritone in her ear.

Sarah jumped with a gasp. "Severus?"

She felt an invisible hand entwine in hers and another turn her gently to face him.

"I would have been here hours ago, if I could. Please believe me."

She saw his form beginning to materialise in the gloom, becoming ghostly as it solidified. She was too shocked to respond, and her head felt fuzzy from being asleep. Was she dreaming?

He reached a hand to her face and felt the damp skin from her tears.

"I've hurt you," he said quietly, tracing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "And not for the first time, either. I'm sorry, Sarah."

She swallowed; her throat was raw with emotion. She couldn't speak.

Severus reached into his pocket and withdrew the vial she'd given him earlier. Taking her hand, he placed it in her palm and closed her fingers around it.

"That was a wonderful and difficult thing you did for me, giving me your memories," he murmured, his low voice like a silken caress. "You offered yourself to me in a way no other ever has; it was the equivalent of offering me your very soul. But I do not want to take these memories from you. We will find out everything about each other, in time. You've shown me your unwavering trust in me, your unwavering acceptance, and your unwavering love. I'm sorry I pushed you away."

More tears started to flow, now. Sarah was overcome by his presence, by his words, by what they meant. She began to tremble.

"Please don't cry. I never want to make you cry again."

With that, Severus leaned down and kissed her face gently, kissing her tears away, folding his arms around her and feeling her quiver like frightened animal in the cool kitchen, dressed only in her delicate underwear.

"I love you," he breathed, the tip of his nose tracing her cheek as she let out a sob and clung to him as if her very life depended on it.

"Severus," she murmured into his chest, holding him tight lest he slip away from her like a shadow.

Severus held her close, stroking her hair, and felt a little overwhelmed himself by her reaction to him. It was a far cry from the confident vamp who challenged him on top of the Astronomy Tower. She must have convinced herself between then and now that he felt nothing but contempt for her and that he wasn't going to come this evening. She'd had hours to work herself up into a state. He closed his eyes at the thought of causing her pain and squeezed her tighter.

They stayed in the gloom of the kitchen together, Severus holding her, rhythmically stroking her hair as he felt her sobs become less and less and her body stop trembling. Eventually, she looked up at him with shining eyes, and he cupped her face in both hands.

"Kiss me," she gasped, searching his eyes. It was a plea, a desperate need for reassurance. He felt his heart clench from her insecurity and vulnerability.

Carefully, Severus moved his face close to her hers, grazing her lips with his own, slowly and gently kissing her, trying to put as much emotion into each movement as he possibly could. He heard her sigh before kissing him back with gradually increasing ardour. His hands skimmed the sides of her body, feeling the warmth of her skin through the see-through material of her robe before tugging the draw string and letting it fall open.

Sarah felt the rush of cool air against her skin as Severus' fingers brushed in circles over her hips and stomach, all the while kissing her gently. Severus heard her moan into his mouth as she kissed him back and could feel the beginnings of gooseflesh on her skin as his long fingers swept up the small of her back.

"Take me to bed," she murmured between kisses.

Severus pulled her close to him and, as they kissed, Apparated to her bedroom. With a quick wave of his wand behind him, he lit the candles on the sideboard. With another, he vanished his clothes, leaving him naked. Flicking his hand, he sent both his wand and the vial of her memories floating gracefully to her dressing table before turning his attentions once more to her.

Sarah gazed up at him, half-naked in the candlelight; his black eyes shone with desire as he scanned her body, and the intensity of his gaze alone made her gasp. He stepped forwards, embracing her, tangling a hand in her thick brown hair and pushing his body against her. Sarah could feel the softness of his smooth pale skin and the urgent pressing of his manhood as his arousal began to grow. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his scent, the masculinity radiating off him and making her feel small and feminine in comparison. She ran a trail of kisses over his chest, pausing over his heart, her hands slipping over his hips and squeezing them. Involuntarily, his hips thrust forwards, nudging her with his ever-growing bulge once more, yet he made no move to accelerate things.

Some women may have been frustrated at having to take the lead, but Sarah understood more clearly than ever that Severus would not do anything to her without her explicit consent and would doubt himself enough until she gave herself to him fully. He would never hurt her or force her to do anything she didn't want to. In her eyes it made him both a little vulnerable and a complete gentleman. It also had the added advantage that he would often literally leave her begging for more.

From Severus' point of view, he always marvelled at how much she wanted him, and how urgent she often sounded. He was unused to being wanted, either physically or emotionally, and her unashamed desire made his heart glow.

"Make love to me," she whispered, gazing into black pools of his eyes. Looking into them gave her a feeling of vertigo, the feeling of falling and not being able to stop. She wanted to fall forever into the abyss of his onyx gaze.

In response, Severus smoothed a strand of hair away from her face and gave her a swift kiss on the lips before running his hands behind her back and unclasping her bra. He teased the straps down her arms, never once breaking eye contact. With a little shrug, it came loose, and Severus slowly drew it away and cast it to the floor, exposing her breasts.

"You're so beautiful," he muttered, running his fingertips from the sensitive skin on her neck all the way down to the pink buds of her nipples. Sarah's heart swelled with love; never before had she felt so exposed, but never before had she felt so safe and secure and attractive. His magic fingers caressed her unhurriedly, and she closed her eyes, enjoying his touch.

Once he had her gasping, his hands slipped down to her knickers, running his fingers along the waistband. Gently, he manoeuvred her to the edge of the bed, making her sit and kneeling in front of her before slowly peeling off the scrap of pink satin covering her sex. He discarded it without a second look then parted her knees gradually with both hands. Sarah inhaled sharply at the cool air and from the concentrated scrutiny he was now lavishing on her most sensitive area.

He idly circled her core with one finger, noticing her hips rise to his touch, before deftly parting her silken folds with splayed fingers and reaching his mouth to meet them. He breathed in her scent, her musky marine smell calling to him, drawing him to her. With careful, measured laps, he began to lick her, savouring her sweet taste. His tongue danced and skimmed across her lips and then found the pearl of her clitoris buried beneath. Sarah moaned at his discovery, her back arching as he swirled and flicked, teasing her onwards to yet more pleasure.

"Severus..." she moaned with delight as his tongue darted rapidly from side to side, sending fresh waves of pleasure over her. He noted how her hips began to thrust in time with his lapping, and he knew she must be close.

"Please," she cried after a mere minute, "I need you inside me!"

Severus felt himself twitch at her pleading, his heart hammering fast with desire. Swiftly, he stood and covered her body with his own. His manhood was grazing her entrance as he again stared deeply into her eyes.

"I love you," he murmured, easing himself inside her, eyes locked together.

She whimpered as he filled her completely. It took only a few thrusts combined with some deft circling of his nimble fingers before she was arched into her climax.

"I love you," she managed to breathe in return, between her gasps and soprano moans.

Severus held himself inside her as she spasmed and gripped around him, watching her face intently and placing delicate kisses all over her face as she recovered. I love you, Sarah Shaw, he thought, slowly beginning to thrust again.