Anyone But Me

Chapter Thirty-One

As she rushed off to the owlery the next day with the request for her mother in her hand, she thought over everything that had transpired that morning.

They had awoken in each others' arms after another nightmare free night for her. Instead of going down to the Great Hall for breakfast they stayed in bed, talking about the most mundane things of no consequence, while gorging themselves on crystallized pineapple and a box of Pixie Puffs. Both from the stash of snacks he had hoarded in the side table next to the bed. She never would have guessed that he had such a sweet tooth... The sugar replaced the normal caffeine she craved and gave her a high that she was sure she would regret later.

After realizing just how late in the morning it had become they each took a quick shower. Hers took longer because of the time she had to devote to untangling her hair. He had leaned against the vanity, watching her and laughing as she cursed him under her breath. The promise to hex him into oblivion when she was done making a frequent appearance. She hadn't, of course, but in the moment it had helped vent her frustration.

Both had vacated the bathroom to get dressed with Draco heading over to the wardrobe and Hermione over to her bag. She grabbed the pajamas she had brought and charmed them into something more appropriate for daytime wear. The matching shirt and flannel pants transformed into a pair of her go-to jeans and a thick maroon jumper. She threw the sweater over her head, figuring she could slip on a clean bra before lunch. The jeans became a problem when she went to pull them over her bum, she had been right the night before...

He had left bright pink welts on both butt cheeks and as soon as the scratchy denim slid across the burning skin she knew that she wouldn't be wearing anything tight for at least a couple of days. She sighed at the inconvenience more than the pain and quickly magicked the pants into a skirt, which she promptly fastened and zipped.

Her mind started to wander on exactly how she was going to be able to sit on the hard benches at lunch without giving her discomfort away. So it startled her when she leaned back over the chair to grab her bag and, all of a sudden, felt his hands run along the outside of her thighs. She closed her eyes as he worked his way up, flicking her skirt so that it rested on her lower back, and then cupped each one of her cheeks in a hand. He ran his thumbs lightly over the raised flesh before leaning forward and whispering in her ear. "Do you have any idea how absolutely fucking sexy you are with my handprints on your hot little ass? Hmmmmm?"

She had let out a long moan in response. The sting of his hands against the marks he had put there sent sparks of immediate desire throughout her body. There was no mistaking that she wanted him deep inside of her again, filling her and making her want to cry from how good she felt. She thrust back against his hands, thanking every God she knew that she had the forethought to pack a thong instead of any other kind of underwear.

"Are you going to answer me, Kitten?" He asked, sliding one of his hands down to her inner thigh, which he nudged to the side.

"Yes" She gasped as her knees started to shake from the rush of endorphins caused by his commanding touches.

"Yes, you know just how ravishing you are? Or yes, you are planning to answer?" He prodded as he ran his fingers up to her panties, sliding along the fabric but barely pressing against her swollen sex.

"Both... Neither... I don't know. Gods!"

He chuckled in her ear before he pulled completely away. The rush of cool air against her blistering hot skin had her gasping. She heard the teasing tone in his voice as she hid her face in the fabric of the chair, trying to stifle the whine that wanted to cross her lips at the loss of contact. "Places to be and all that Granger... We will have to finish this next time."