*Deserving Of Love*

“I am not sure if I will ever eat again.”

Tonks set down an empty takeout container and lay back on the counter. Remus pulled his wand out of the pocket of his robe and flicked it, sending all the empty cartons to the trash and the dishes into the sink before he leaned forward on his elbows against the counter.

“I agree. One more dumpling thing and I think I may be sick.”

Tonks shifted so that she was laying perpendicular to him and rested her head on his outstretched palm. She reached up and brushed a piece of hair out of his eyes as his free hand found the skin at the opening of her shirt; he slowly moved his fingers down to disappear beneath the fabric, his thumb moving very slowly over a small freckle between her breasts.

“My second favorite part of your body…”

She breathed in as he caressed this spot for a second before moving his hand back up to rest in her hair, cupping the side of her face. He traced his thumb over her cheekbone lightly and bent down to kiss her gently, pulling away when she attempted to deepen it. Tonks whined in protest when he pulled away from her and she reached for him, trying to pull him back down to her. Remus smiled and dodged her lips, grabbing her around the waist to drag her across the counter into a sitting position in front of him. He stood between her legs and buried his face in her neck as he wrapped his arms around her, smiling against her soft skin as she giggled and held him tightly and whispered against his ear.

“You are driving me crazy… what do you say you take me back to bed before I end up shagging you on the kitchen counter?”

“I have a better idea…”

Remus turned around and gripped her legs at the knee, pulling her tightly against his back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her piggyback into the bathroom, setting her down on the cold tile of the counter before reaching into the pocket of his robe for his wand. He flicked it at the line of candles around the tub, each bursting to life to give the dark bathroom a warm bright glow.

Remus stepped to the tub and turned on the tap, and reached for the bottle of bubble bath sitting on the edge of the tub. He poured a generous amount under the running water before setting the bottle back down and turning once again to Tonks. She was perched on the edge of the counter, legs crossed, her shirt unbuttoned and opened enough to give him ample view of her breasts and belly as she reached for a barrette lying on the other side of the sink. He watched as she gathered her hair into a messy twist and pinned it back before turning to look at him again. He stood before her, snaking his hands under her shirt to rest against her bare hips, his thumbs moving in slow circles over her warm skin.

“Let’s get this silly robe off of you…”

Tonks untied the thin strap of fabric holding his robe closed and ran her hands slowly up his belly to his chest, enjoying the different textures of skin underneath her fingertips. Her fingers rested against his collarbone and she lightly drummed against his skin, the contact bringing Remus closer as her hands rounded his shoulders to pull the robe off of his upper body. He shook the robe from his arms and let it pool on the floor, then picked up his wand and flicked it at the tub to shut off the running water.

Tonks parted her legs as Remus reached once again for her hips, pulling her to balance between the edge of the counter and his body. Their foreheads pressed together as he moved his hands up her body; a shiver ran through her as his fingers trailed up her stomach and over her breasts lightly. He gripped the collar of her shirt and pulled it off of one shoulder then the other, kissing a path down each arm as they were exposed. He stood back and looked her up and down; her breasts belly and legs glowing golden in the candlelight, in stark contrast to the shadows of her throat and the valley between her legs. Four large bruises on her left hip caught Remus’ eye and he leaned forward to inspect them closer. The largest of the four was a deep purple oval that rested on the front of her hipbone; the other three were fanned out over the side of her hip. Remus raised his hand and placed a finger on each spot gently, frowning as he realized that he had caused them.

“I didn’t realize I was so rough earlier…” he whispered as he moved his head to inspect the other hip.

The right was covered with bruises as well, and he leaned forward and pressed kisses over the purple marks. Tonks let out a sigh and tangled her fingers in his hair as his stubbled chin scraped across her lower belly as he kissed his way back to her left hip.

“I like it when you’re rough…” she whispered back, pulling his head back up to meet hers. She leaned forward and captured his lower lip between her teeth, nibbling it lightly before placing kisses on it. Remus wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the counter and carried her over to the tub. He set her down in the warm water then stepped in next to her, never breaking contact with her lips as he carefully sank into the water, Tonks following him into the bubbles. He finally broke the kiss and shifted so he was leaning against one end of the tub facing Tonks; she sat with her knees to her chest, shivering slightly in the cool damp air around them.

Remus leaned his head back against the tile and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the hot water loosening up his body and the scent of the bubble bath. Remus smiled as he inhaled, drawing as much as the jasmine flower aroma into his nose as possible; Tonks always smelled like jasmine and her scent surrounding him completely was starting to make his head swim. Tonks moved to a kneeling position and reached for the sponge and the bar of soap sitting on the edge of the tub next to Remus’ head. She leaned closely over him, purposely letting her breasts graze his chest, and pulled back when his hands ran up her thighs to her waist to pull her closer. She smiled as she scooted back from him, working up a thick lather on the sponge before she reached down to pull a long, muscled leg out of the water to begin washing it. Remus chuckled as she grazed the sponge over the back of his knee, and Tonks looked up at him shocked.

“You’re ticklish? I have a ticklish six-foot tall werewolf in my bathtub… Merlin does have a wicked sense of humor.”

“Don’t tell Sirius… I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Tonks giggled and washed one leg, then the other before reaching for his hands to pull him into a sitting position. She moved to his lap and pressed closely to him as she washed up one arm then the other before moving to wash his shoulders and neck. She set the sponge down and lathered her hands up before sliding them down his chest, enjoying the feel of his wet chest hair tickling her palms. Remus sighed and closed his eyes as her hands moved over his lower belly and dipped below the water to grasp his erection. She worked her hands over it for a few minutes, watching as his face and body reacted to the slow torture she was giving him, then pulled away suddenly to rake her hands back up his chest.

She re-soaped her hands and draped her arms over his shoulders to wash his back, pressing her breasts tightly against him as she worked. Her soapy fingers gently moved over each knotted scar and she felt his arms wrap around her to pull her tighter against him. She picked up the sponge and dipped it in the water, letting it saturate with water before bringing it to the top of his back and squeezing. She shifted harder onto his lap as she rinsed the soap from his skin, repeating the action several times before moving back to rinse his chest. He groaned as the water trickled between their bodies and her nipples hardened against him suddenly and he moved forward to bury his face in her neck. Tonks dropped the sponge as his tongue darted against her skin, and she shifted to press harder onto his erection. Remus kissed his way to her mouth and she opened it as his tongue ran over her lips, moaning into his mouth and grasping him harshly to her chest.

He kissed her forcefully at first, one hand on her lower back to hold her against his hardness, the other in her hair to keep her head steady as his mouth dominated hers. Tonks softened against him as his kisses became more passionate, his hands moving from holding her tightly to caressing her arms and back. He pulled away slowly, moving one hand to move a lock of hair from her eyes as his other reached for the sponge in the water beside him.

Tonks sat back, sliding off of his lap to sit between his legs, and licked her lips in anticipation of his large hands running the length of her body, watching as he lathered the sponge carefully. He started with her arms, running the sponge in small circles from her shoulders down to her wrists, then took her hands in his and washed between each finger carefully. He rinsed her, then reached into the water and grasped her leg. She leaned back, propping herself on her elbows as he pulled one leg out of the water. He started with her foot, holding her leg by the ankle as he washed it, gently massaging it as he worked. He placed her ankle on his shoulder when he was done, and moved his hands up her smooth leg slowly.

Tonks leaned her head back when he reached her inner thigh, biting her lip as his thumb brushed against her wet curls. She moved forward slightly, trying to get him to make contact, and groaned when his hand left her leg to pull the other out of the water. She looked back at him as he repeated his actions on her other foot, propping that one on his other shoulder as he worked up that leg. He took on a much slower pace, and Tonks groaned in frustration when he simply brushed his hand against her folds once again, and looked up to find him smirking at her.

“You’re a very bad man…” she whispered as he rinsed the soap from her legs, chuckling softly as his hands moved over them as the soapy water cascaded down.

He slid his hands back to her ankles and pulled each one off of his shoulder, placing her feet flat on the bottom of the tub on either side of him. He leaned forward suddenly, grabbing Tonks around the waist to pull her closer; she sat up as he pulled her, ending up fully sitting on his lap, her knees bent behind his shoulders. Remus soaped up his hands once more and slid them slowly down to her breasts. Tonks arched into his hands as he cupped each breast, weighing them in his large hands before gently kneading them and sliding his fingers over her hardened nipples. She laced her arms underneath his, pulling him closer as he continued to stroke her breasts, moving from the sensitive underside to the center in a measured rhythm. Tonks sighed as his hands finally trailed down, tickling over her ribs before disappearing beneath the surface of the water. Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt him slide two fingers into her, his thumb pressing her over sensitized bud roughly. She wiggled against him, the pressure of his fingers and the erection pressing into her causing a low moan to escape her lips. He parted her with one hand and pulled her toward him, slowly sliding his length into her and holding her tightly to him as he carefully stood and stepped out of the tub. Tonks wrapped her legs around his waist tightly and nuzzled against him, biting and kissing his neck as he carried her out of the bathroom towards the bedroom.

He laid her on the bed, and pulled back to look at her; Tonks was staring up at him, biting her lip gently as she ran her fingers through his hair. He watched her for a minute, bringing his hands to her head to lift it slightly while he unhooked the barrette holding her hair back, tangling his fingers in the damp waves as they fell down before moving to capture her lips with his. They kissed frantically for a moment before Remus slowed the pace to thoroughly explore her mouth, his hands still in her hair to steady her as she dropped her head to the pillow once more. Tonks wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as she thrust her hips against his. He broke the kiss and looked down at her, watching her face as she began moving rhythmically beneath him, her legs pulling at him in an attempt to make him move with her. Tonks groaned loudly in a mixture of frustration and pleasure; frustration at Remus not moving with her, but enjoying the feeling of him inside of her as she moved against him.

Remus dropped his head to her neck and began kissing her gently as he started to move slowly with her. Tonks sped up, moving her hips frantically against his slow rocking, her growing need causing her to try to speed up his rhythm. Remus pushed his face harder against her neck and bit down as one of his hands moved to her hip to slow her down. He pressed her firmly into the bed, stopping her movement by a quick thrust of his hips and his palm forcing down on her hipbone. Tonks sighed and gave in, relaxing the grip of her legs around his waist and dropping her hands to grasp the firm structure of his arms as he held himself above her. He continued to kiss her neck, nipping at her gently before swirling his tongue over her skin slowly with complete control.

Tonks moaned when Remus finally started moving against her once again, his strokes slow and deep as he raised his head to hers. He kissed her as he moved, his tongue mimicking the movement of his hips as he continued his steady and slow rhythm; he could feel her tightening around him as he thrust deeper into her, his hand still on her hips as she lifted and rocked against him. She groaned deep in her throat as she came, her muscles tightening harshly around a shuddering Remus. He thrust deeply once more before letting go completely, his mouth still pressed against hers, his tongue driving deeper and more forcefully into her mouth as he spent himself within her. He immediately rolled so they were on their sides, Tonks partially sprawled across him, and broke the kiss with a gasp. Tonks pressed her head to his chest as she tried to regain her control and get a hold of her ragged breathing. His chest was rising and falling sharply, his breath coming out in pants against the top of Tonks’ head as she nuzzled him gently.

“I hope you don’t mind me just laying here for the next couple of days, because I honestly don’t think I can move…”

Tonks raised her head slightly as she said this and placed a quick kiss on Remus’ chin before scooting further down his body and dropping her head back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked a hand up her back, causing her to shudder and wiggle against him slightly. He smiled and continued his movements, enjoying the feel of her breasts pressed tightly against him as she moved.

“I agree. I can honestly say that I have never been so happy to be so completely exhausted in my life. You have utterly worn me out… thank you.”

Tonks giggled and rose up to kiss him gently before reaching for her wand on the nightstand. She cast a cleansing spell on both of them and tossed her wand onto the table before settling against him again. Remus wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the other in the middle of her back, holding her against him tightly as his eyes drifted shut. His breathing was deep and calm as she pressed her head against his chest, and she could hear the slow steady beat of his heart lulling her to sleep as she closed her eyes and sighed.

Remus felt her breathing go deep after a while and he carefully reached down to pull the blankets over them before placing a light kiss on the top of her head. He gently brushed his thumb against her cheek as she slept, amazed by the woman laying so comfortably across his body. She was young, beautiful and intelligent, and everything that Remus had no idea was missing from his life.

He suddenly felt terrified as he watched her sleep – terrified that he was dreaming, terrified that he would lose her, terrified that she would leave him, terrified that she would stay – and a fleeting thought of walking away right now before they got too involved flashed across his mind for a split second; until she moved.

Tonks murmured softly and shifted so that her head rested in the crook of his neck; she brought her hand up to tangle in his hair and shifted her leg so that it was possessively strewn across his waist before her breathing grew deep and even again. All thoughts of leaving flew out of Remus’ head as he reached down to pull her leg further across him, pulling Tonks even closer to his body as he placed another kiss on the top of her head.

“Please be here in the morning…” he whispered against the top of her head before he finally closed his eyes, drifting to sleep with the jasmine scent of her tickling his nose.