Ice-cold water showered down over Ginny as she cursed Draco. For three days now he’d been kissing her senseless. She’d yet to find an effective way to retaliate. If she turned up the heat to get back at him, he somehow turned the heat back on her and doubled it.
She’d just left him, smirking his arse off, in the back of the library. How could he cause her to melt into her shoes while he looked completely unaffected? It had to be an act.
Her face flushed as she replayed the events of the evening in her mind. Draco had lead her back to a secluded area of the library and snogged her senseless. While they were kissing, he’d picked her up and sat her on a table. Before she knew it, she had her legs wrapped around his thighs.
He’d been the one to call time out. She’d been in a hormonal haze, and he’d walked away. No telling how long she’d stared at him with her mouth open like a fish. Just thinking about it made her want to bang her head on the wall.
If she didn’t love the bastard, she’d kill him.
CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!
She did not love Draco Malfoy. She liked him. She enjoyed his company. She lusted after his pectoral muscles and had the odd desire to bite him on the hip. That was it. She didn’t love him. That was unacceptable.
Turning the water off, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She dried off and dressed as quickly as possible.
She needed an outside opinion. Who could she confide in? Hermione was in love. Would she understand? Lavender was out of the question, because of her gossiping ways. Given her limited social life, that left Luna. Could Luna be helpful in this situation?
Back in her bedroom, she wondered how Draco would react if she told him she loved him. He’d probably run away screaming. The first time Hermione uttered those words to Ron, the prat pretended to be sick in bed for three days.
Ginny tried to imagine the scenario where she admitted her feelings. Draco would kiss her, because that’s what he always did. He’d nuzzle her neck and do that thing to her ear that made her completely lose her mind. Heat thrummed through her body just thinking about him.
She buried her face in her pillow and screamed. It didn’t help much. Frustrated, she looked in the mirror and frowned. Her blouse was on inside out and she was only wearing one sock. Fabulous.
She fixed her blouse and stalked back to the loo to retrieve her damn sock. After a few deep breaths, she performed a hair and makeup charm. Feeling more confident about her appearance, she walked at a controlled pace toward the dungeons.
Draco and Blaise were coming up the stairs as she started to walk down.
“Looking for someone?” Blaise teased.
“I thought I’d stroll down to Snape’s office to see if he wanted to have tea,” Ginny mocked.
Both boys laughed, and Ginny relaxed. “Where are you two headed?”
“We were going to the library,” Blaise told her with a sly look on his face. “I know for a fact Draco was there earlier this evening, but he didn’t manage to get a thing done. I wonder why?”
Ginny felt her face heat up. Hands on her hips, she glared at Draco.
He had the audacity to smirk at her. “I didn’t say a word. He was probing for information, and you fell into his trap.”
“We need to talk,” she told Draco.
“I’ll prowl around for a bit.” Blaise winked. “You two have fun.”
Ginny wasn’t sure what the dark haired boy meant, and she didn’t really care.
“Where do you want to talk?” Draco asked.
She shrugged. “Your room is the closest.”
He blinked and then reached for her hand. The fact that she’d never been in his room was probably confusing him a great deal. Having him off guard would be a good thing. She might have time to speak before he kissed her and caused her baser instincts to take over.
There were a few people in the common room. None of them seemed to notice or care that she was accompanying Draco to his room.
He unlocked the door for her and held it open. She entered the room and stared in awe. It was beautiful. The hardwood floor gleamed, reflecting the gray silk tapestry of his four-poster bed. There was a small sitting area furnished with two leather chairs and a tea table. The door beyond the chairs led to a private bath.
“This is amazing. If they’d let us see the rooms first, I might have asked the hat to sort me into Slytherin.”
He laughed. “You have to keep it a secret. Everyone thinks the dungeons are cold and dreary. I believe we have the best rooms in the castle.”
Ginny turned and caught him smiling at her. Gods, he was beautiful. Her insides started to hum as he moved toward her. If his lips touched hers, she’d never remember what she wanted to talk about.
“I’m confused,” she blurted out.
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Let me see if I can help you.” He pointed down. “This is called a floor. We stand on it-”
She closed the distance between them and whacked him on the arm. “I’m trying to be serious.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.” He pulled his wand out and pointed it at her. He uttered a cleansing spell followed by a spell she didn’t recognize.
“What did you just do?”
“Turn around.”
She had no idea when she’d lost control of this situation, but decided to do as he suggested. In the mirror of his armoire, she saw that he’d removed her makeup and hair charms. Her skin looked radiant and her hair fell in gentle waves. It was hard to be irritated when he’d made her look so good.
He approached and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Due to his height his chin rested on top of her head. “I like you better without makeup.”
A warm feeling grew inside her chest. “Thank you. You’ll have to teach me those spells before I leave.”
His body stiffened behind her. “What do you mean? Where are you going?”
She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “I meant when I left to go back to my room. I’m not going anywhere.”
A slight blush crept across his face.
“You’d be upset if I left.” Ginny said, delighted at the discovery. Hoping for the best, she added. “If you left, I’d miss you too.”
Her admission seemed to please him. She foraged ahead. “I care about you a great deal.”
“Is that why you make those little noises when I kiss your neck?” he teased.
Suddenly she remembered why she was here. “You know the effect you have on me. I need to know what effect I have on you.”
“I would think that was obvious.” He pulled her body flush against his and kissed her until she couldn’t think clearly. When he rolled his hips against her, she could feel how much he wanted her.
Pulling away for a breath, she said, “I know you want me. How do you feel about me?”
He closed his eyes. “This is the tricky part.”
It felt like he’d dumped a bucket of ice-water over her head. “Wrong answer,” she bit out.
He ran his hand back through his hair. “See. As soon as you bring emotions into the mix it all goes to hell.”
A lump came to her throat. She blinked her eyes rapidly to try and dispel the angry tears. “Say something to make this better,” she demanded.
He grabbed her hands and held them against his chest. “I’d rather spend time with you than with any other female in school.”
Her angry tears dissipated. “Really? I’d rather be with you too. I think about you all the time.”
She meant to say more, but he moved in and pressed his mouth against her neck. Deciding they’d made enough progress for tonight, she fisted her hands in his shirt and concentrated on staying upright.
Instead of moving his mouth up to kiss her lips, which was his normal maneuver, he trailed kisses down the valley between her breasts. This confused her because she certainly remembered buttoning her shirt to a respectable height.
His lips moved back up to her mouth while his hands caressed her curves. She felt his fingers working the buttons on her blouse, and she couldn’t think of a logical reason to stop him.
Hot breath hit her ear. “Is this all right?”
“Yes,” her voice came out breathy while her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt. He pulled his shirt over his head and then stopped to stare at her.
Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, she looked down to figure out what was wrong. Her bra wasn’t fancy, but she didn’t think plain white cotton deserved this type of reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
He stepped back, picked up his shirt and put it on. “You should go,” he bit out.
Shame washed over her as she scrambled to cover herself. Her fingers shook as she tried to button her shirt. “I don’t understand.”
Glaring at her, he spoke in a voice devoid of any warmth. “All this time you’ve been stringing me along.” He snorted. “If you’re going to play the innocent with me while shagging some other guy, then you should at least have the decency to tell him not to leave any marks.”
His accusation stung. “What in the hell are you talking about? I haven’t been with anyone else.”
He stalked toward her, yanked up her blouse and pointed at the area just above the waistband of her skirt. “I’d think you’d remember this.”
Ginny looked down and then jerked away from him. “It’s a birth mark. But thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
Tears blurred her vision, as she stalked toward the door.
Draco blocked her path. “It’s a birth mark?”
Hands on her hips, she bit out, “Yes. It is. I have another one on the inside of my left thigh. I’m mentioning it now because there isn’t a chance in hell you’ll ever see it. Now, get out of my way.”
She’d just left him, smirking his arse off, in the back of the library. How could he cause her to melt into her shoes while he looked completely unaffected? It had to be an act.
Her face flushed as she replayed the events of the evening in her mind. Draco had lead her back to a secluded area of the library and snogged her senseless. While they were kissing, he’d picked her up and sat her on a table. Before she knew it, she had her legs wrapped around his thighs.
He’d been the one to call time out. She’d been in a hormonal haze, and he’d walked away. No telling how long she’d stared at him with her mouth open like a fish. Just thinking about it made her want to bang her head on the wall.
If she didn’t love the bastard, she’d kill him.
CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!
She did not love Draco Malfoy. She liked him. She enjoyed his company. She lusted after his pectoral muscles and had the odd desire to bite him on the hip. That was it. She didn’t love him. That was unacceptable.
Turning the water off, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. She dried off and dressed as quickly as possible.
She needed an outside opinion. Who could she confide in? Hermione was in love. Would she understand? Lavender was out of the question, because of her gossiping ways. Given her limited social life, that left Luna. Could Luna be helpful in this situation?
Back in her bedroom, she wondered how Draco would react if she told him she loved him. He’d probably run away screaming. The first time Hermione uttered those words to Ron, the prat pretended to be sick in bed for three days.
Ginny tried to imagine the scenario where she admitted her feelings. Draco would kiss her, because that’s what he always did. He’d nuzzle her neck and do that thing to her ear that made her completely lose her mind. Heat thrummed through her body just thinking about him.
She buried her face in her pillow and screamed. It didn’t help much. Frustrated, she looked in the mirror and frowned. Her blouse was on inside out and she was only wearing one sock. Fabulous.
She fixed her blouse and stalked back to the loo to retrieve her damn sock. After a few deep breaths, she performed a hair and makeup charm. Feeling more confident about her appearance, she walked at a controlled pace toward the dungeons.
Draco and Blaise were coming up the stairs as she started to walk down.
“Looking for someone?” Blaise teased.
“I thought I’d stroll down to Snape’s office to see if he wanted to have tea,” Ginny mocked.
Both boys laughed, and Ginny relaxed. “Where are you two headed?”
“We were going to the library,” Blaise told her with a sly look on his face. “I know for a fact Draco was there earlier this evening, but he didn’t manage to get a thing done. I wonder why?”
Ginny felt her face heat up. Hands on her hips, she glared at Draco.
He had the audacity to smirk at her. “I didn’t say a word. He was probing for information, and you fell into his trap.”
“We need to talk,” she told Draco.
“I’ll prowl around for a bit.” Blaise winked. “You two have fun.”
Ginny wasn’t sure what the dark haired boy meant, and she didn’t really care.
“Where do you want to talk?” Draco asked.
She shrugged. “Your room is the closest.”
He blinked and then reached for her hand. The fact that she’d never been in his room was probably confusing him a great deal. Having him off guard would be a good thing. She might have time to speak before he kissed her and caused her baser instincts to take over.
There were a few people in the common room. None of them seemed to notice or care that she was accompanying Draco to his room.
He unlocked the door for her and held it open. She entered the room and stared in awe. It was beautiful. The hardwood floor gleamed, reflecting the gray silk tapestry of his four-poster bed. There was a small sitting area furnished with two leather chairs and a tea table. The door beyond the chairs led to a private bath.
“This is amazing. If they’d let us see the rooms first, I might have asked the hat to sort me into Slytherin.”
He laughed. “You have to keep it a secret. Everyone thinks the dungeons are cold and dreary. I believe we have the best rooms in the castle.”
Ginny turned and caught him smiling at her. Gods, he was beautiful. Her insides started to hum as he moved toward her. If his lips touched hers, she’d never remember what she wanted to talk about.
“I’m confused,” she blurted out.
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Let me see if I can help you.” He pointed down. “This is called a floor. We stand on it-”
She closed the distance between them and whacked him on the arm. “I’m trying to be serious.”
“That doesn’t sound like much fun.” He pulled his wand out and pointed it at her. He uttered a cleansing spell followed by a spell she didn’t recognize.
“What did you just do?”
“Turn around.”
She had no idea when she’d lost control of this situation, but decided to do as he suggested. In the mirror of his armoire, she saw that he’d removed her makeup and hair charms. Her skin looked radiant and her hair fell in gentle waves. It was hard to be irritated when he’d made her look so good.
He approached and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Due to his height his chin rested on top of her head. “I like you better without makeup.”
A warm feeling grew inside her chest. “Thank you. You’ll have to teach me those spells before I leave.”
His body stiffened behind her. “What do you mean? Where are you going?”
She turned and wrapped her arms around him. “I meant when I left to go back to my room. I’m not going anywhere.”
A slight blush crept across his face.
“You’d be upset if I left.” Ginny said, delighted at the discovery. Hoping for the best, she added. “If you left, I’d miss you too.”
Her admission seemed to please him. She foraged ahead. “I care about you a great deal.”
“Is that why you make those little noises when I kiss your neck?” he teased.
Suddenly she remembered why she was here. “You know the effect you have on me. I need to know what effect I have on you.”
“I would think that was obvious.” He pulled her body flush against his and kissed her until she couldn’t think clearly. When he rolled his hips against her, she could feel how much he wanted her.
Pulling away for a breath, she said, “I know you want me. How do you feel about me?”
He closed his eyes. “This is the tricky part.”
It felt like he’d dumped a bucket of ice-water over her head. “Wrong answer,” she bit out.
He ran his hand back through his hair. “See. As soon as you bring emotions into the mix it all goes to hell.”
A lump came to her throat. She blinked her eyes rapidly to try and dispel the angry tears. “Say something to make this better,” she demanded.
He grabbed her hands and held them against his chest. “I’d rather spend time with you than with any other female in school.”
Her angry tears dissipated. “Really? I’d rather be with you too. I think about you all the time.”
She meant to say more, but he moved in and pressed his mouth against her neck. Deciding they’d made enough progress for tonight, she fisted her hands in his shirt and concentrated on staying upright.
Instead of moving his mouth up to kiss her lips, which was his normal maneuver, he trailed kisses down the valley between her breasts. This confused her because she certainly remembered buttoning her shirt to a respectable height.
His lips moved back up to her mouth while his hands caressed her curves. She felt his fingers working the buttons on her blouse, and she couldn’t think of a logical reason to stop him.
Hot breath hit her ear. “Is this all right?”
“Yes,” her voice came out breathy while her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt. He pulled his shirt over his head and then stopped to stare at her.
Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, she looked down to figure out what was wrong. Her bra wasn’t fancy, but she didn’t think plain white cotton deserved this type of reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
He stepped back, picked up his shirt and put it on. “You should go,” he bit out.
Shame washed over her as she scrambled to cover herself. Her fingers shook as she tried to button her shirt. “I don’t understand.”
Glaring at her, he spoke in a voice devoid of any warmth. “All this time you’ve been stringing me along.” He snorted. “If you’re going to play the innocent with me while shagging some other guy, then you should at least have the decency to tell him not to leave any marks.”
His accusation stung. “What in the hell are you talking about? I haven’t been with anyone else.”
He stalked toward her, yanked up her blouse and pointed at the area just above the waistband of her skirt. “I’d think you’d remember this.”
Ginny looked down and then jerked away from him. “It’s a birth mark. But thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
Tears blurred her vision, as she stalked toward the door.
Draco blocked her path. “It’s a birth mark?”
Hands on her hips, she bit out, “Yes. It is. I have another one on the inside of my left thigh. I’m mentioning it now because there isn’t a chance in hell you’ll ever see it. Now, get out of my way.”
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