Mended

Twenty-One

Severus lies in bed, his wife's body pressed against his front. His hands roam the soft, supple skin of her thigh, inching the silk fabric of her nightgown up her body until her backside was now fully exposed. He spreads his fingers on her firm, round bottom and squeezes. Her back arches further into his touch, her breathing picks up as she pushes her head into the pillow, giving him access to her neck. Using one finger, he pushes her long red hair away, exposing the milky white, delicate skin of her neck.

The moment his lips make contact with her flesh, she lets out a soft moan that confirms to him that he is on the correct path. His hand snakes up her front, pushing the silken fabric further along with it, past her ample hips, the soft skin of her lower abdomen, and finally to her jutting ribs. His hand keeps exploring, going further up her body until his fingers graze her erect nipples. Her legs press tightly together, desperate for any form of friction as he brushes his thumb across her nipple before pinching it firmly between thumb and forefinger. A deeper moan escapes her as he pairs the pinching with soft nibbles along her shoulder. Slender fingers somehow find their way beneath his own cotton nightshirt and wrap around his growing erection. He pauses a moment, a grown involuntarily escaping his throat.

"Patience." He hisses into her ear as he reaches down and pries her hand from him.

She throws her head back once more at the feel of his breath in her ear. This was a shared turn on for them both; the moment either of them brought their mouths to the others ear, they knew they had them right where they wanted them. She pants and presses her bottom against him, grinding against his erection and making him smile against her neck as he kisses just below her earlobe.

"I want you." She whines as he takes his time kissing along her neck.

"And you'll have me, in time. Patience is not your strong suit." He jests as he pulls her onto her back and makes to hover over her.

"Mummy." A voice whimpers from the darkness somewhere near her side of the bed. They really should have locked the door.

They jerk apart as if they were a pair of teenagers caught in a dark corridor. She quickly pulls her nightgown back down her body, Severus reaches for a pillow and shoves it onto his lap to hide himself. Suddenly the pitch black room is flooded with candlelight and Lorna stands trembling slightly next to the nightstand clutching her hippogriff stuffy to her chest.

"What's wrong, Lorna?" Her mother coos and she slides from the bed and envelops Lorna's small body in her arms before lifting her onto the bed between them.

"I sleep with you." Lorna demands as he lies back on her mother's pillow and shuffles her body under the blankets.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Her mother asks as she slides in next to Lorna and pulls her against her chest.

"I am going to the restroom." Severus announces as he clears his throat and heaves himself from the bed.

"I'm coming to help!" Lorna shouts as she struggles to release herself from her mother's grasp. Severus is out of the bedroom, across the hall, and locking the bathroom door before Lorna has a chance to join him.

"Daddy does not need your help in the loo."

Severus turns the faucet on and splashes cool water on his face.

"Daddy helps me in the loo!"

He pats his face dry with a hand towel draped across the edge of the sink and stares at himself in the mirror for a moment.

"That's because you are two and can't reach the sink. I promise, Daddy has everything covered in there."

White streaks pepper his once raven hair, deep crow's feet maul the corners of his eyes. His facial hair came in much faster now, it seemed as though he needed a shave near constantly. A blackhead on the side of his nose and a blemish beginning to form on his chin causes him to scowl at himself.