Sub Rosa

Chapter 18 –Morning Comes

Kathryn woke hours later, curled against Severus’s body. She reached for him, wondering how bad leaving him was going to be. Right now, after he had so tenderly and passionately loved her, the thought of parting from her friend and now lover seemed too terrible to contemplate. He roused under her hands, sleepy, but not unwilling. She felt as though she had a very limited amount of time and she wanted to take advantage of it. Her leg was a hindrance; there were things she simply couldn’t do right now.

He moaned as she stroked him, a warm rumbling sound that aroused her faster even than the sight of his silky black hair spread out on the pillow or the absolute black of his eyes as woke to her hand gently massaging his erection. He grabbed her with an almost alarming speed and turned her onto her stomach. He reached his hand between her legs and began to stroke her into frenzy, with one hand, holding her still with the other.

Kathryn was aroused by his strength and caught up in his mastery of her. If he hadn’t told her he’d been out of practice she never would have known it. She cried out his name, begging for him to take her, but he used only his fingers, torturing her with exquisite pleasure till she came on his fingers, shrieking her pleasure. He tilted her hips up with his hands and took her from behind, her faressressed into the pillow. The incredible sensation he was generating bed oed out her mind and she was just a bundle of needs and reactions moving under him. His fingers dug into her flesh, holding her still as he pounded into her and she felt herself racing towards the heights again.

“Severus!” She shouted as she felt the world shatter around her and the sensations rippled through every part of her. She was sure she couldn’t take anymore of it but his fingers slipped around her waist and began to rub at her clitoris and she found herself shaking with the need he evoked in her. She came again so quickly she surprised herself and felt his climax inside her, feeling like she had received a precious gift.

They collapsed together on the bed, her leg aching; she hadn’t noticed the pain before.

“Now that was more like a best effort.” His voice thrummed in her chest as he lay on top of her, covering her with his body. She sighed happily -- how she loved Saturdays.

“You are really quite amazing.” She groaned as he pushed off of her. They were both covered in sweat and his hair hung down across his eyes and clung to his face. She had never seen anything so sexy in her life.

“You may have to keep telling me that for a while.” He ran his fingers along her spine as he looked at her. They lay side by side, both a little stunned by the ferocity of their lovemaking.

“I don’t think I have a problem with that.” She stretched and then winced as pain shot up her leg. He looked guilty and reached down to where the injured limb was twitching on the bed. The damaged neurons fired sullenly, protesting the ill usage. His strong fingers began to knead her scar tissue expertly.

He moved to the source of pain and dug in, soothing the tortured muscles. She whimpered in pleasure and pain mingled as he worked the kinks from the muscles. He sat up, gloriously nude, and knelt next to her, working his hands up and down her wounded leg in earnest. She relaxed under his ministrations and began to sink into a boneless heap, the pain fleeing from his determined efforts. Had she been a cat she would have purred.

“Better?” Damn, that voice, all low and throaty, was enough to get her wet again. She simply nodded, not sure she wouldn’t just ask him to take her again if she opened her mouth. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but she had only gotten a few hours of sleep last night and she had work to do with Harry and the gang. Albus was counting on her to keep them alive and safe. She contemplated bringing Severus along but Harry was still pretty sure his Potions Professor was the Anti-Christ and the feeling appeared to be mutual.

“I have to get moving, Severus.” She sighed and shifted away from him with great reluctance. He looked disappointed for a moment and then the walls came up and he began to distance himself. She groaned, grabbed him and kissed him hard. He stiffened a moment than gave in to the kiss. When she was certain she had his attention she spoke again. “I don’t want to get out of this bed, I‘d rather stay here with you.” She kissed him again lightly. “However, I have duties at this school besides teaching.” His eyes widened and he nodded.

“As do I.” He reached for her and pulled her back into his arms, as though assuring himself that she wasn’t reluctant to touch him. She hugged him tight and felt something softening in her heart at his obvious insecurity. Damn, she couldn’t fall in love with him; it would make her life far too difficult. Not to mention what Mother would say. She was still holding out for Kathryn marrying a high-ranking pureblood and the Snapes weren’t on her list of choices. He released her finally, and reached for his clothes.

Kathryn dragged herself across the hallway and into the bathroom to shower. She found she was smiling for no apparent reason and tried to force herself back into game face. It was harder this morning.

When she emerged from the shower, he was gone from the bedroom. She dressed hurriedly, in trousers and a shirt and pulled on her sturdy hiking boots, before picking up the cane and limping into the kitchen.

Severus was seated at her kitchen table, reading her Daily Prophet and sipping coffee.

“Cheeky bastard, aren’t you?” She grinned at him as she settled into the chair opposite him. He grunted, inarticulate before his morning caffeine. He pushed a mug of tea towards her and her copy of the Washington Wizarding Times which she grabbed and unfolded. They sat in silence reading their papers and sipping their beverages. There was something peaceful and domestic about it that made Kathryn feel warm and y. y.

An owl rapped at her window and she rose and went to open it. Her mail dropped into her hands and she gave the owl a treat from the jar she kept beside the window. Inside were her usual letters from the family and a scrawled note from a friend of hers.

“What are you doing the first Saturday in November?” She asked absently as she read.

“Pardon?” He looked up at her with an absent expression.

“We’re going out that Saturday night, you and me.” She watched his face go through several expressions before settling on disapproval.

“Where to?” His face was telling him that he hadn’t expected his own words.

“Los Angeles. My friends have a band and they are playing a gig at the Viper Room. They want me there.” She waved the note at him in illustration.

“Los Angeles?” He was looking at her as if she had lost her mind.

“Yeah, Adam says there will be A&R guys there and he wants lots of support for the band.” She stared off into space. “I wonder if Albus would like to come?” Severus choked on his coffee.

“I am assuming this is a Muggle thing?” He finally managed to get out.

“Yeah, but Adam knows I’m a witch.” His expression encouraged her to expound. “In America you can tell people anything and they just won’t take you seriously. I’ve told all my friends there that I am a witch and they nod and think I’m just really fringe.” She chuckled at his incredulous look.

“It sounds interesting. I would love to go.” He was lying through his teeth; it sounded like torture to him. She knew that but he was trying and that was all that counted.

“I’ll tell you what, in repayment for coming with me, you can choose where we go next. How’s that?” He went totally still and she was concerned. “Severus?”

“You would allow yourself to be seen somewhere in public with me?” He almost whispered. Kathryn looked at him, feeling the wound in him clearly. She wanted to start killing all the people who had hurt him, slowly and painfully, which was sadly impractical. Instead, she settled herself into his lap and began to kiss him again.

“Idiot. I’d do you in the Great Hall in front of the whole student body if Albus wouldn’t have a heart attack.” He chuckled and hugged her, burying his head in her chest.

“Can’t have Albus’s death on our conscience.” Came his muffled voice from the vicinity of her collarbone.

“So stop being so dumb.” She pushed his chin up and dropped a kiss onto the end of his prominent nose. “I gotta get back to work.” He hugged her briefly then released her, providing a hand under her elbow so that she could rise.

“Where are you off to?” He asked with a lift of his eyebrow.

“Once more into the breach, once more.” She proclaimed dramatically. “I go to keep Potter and company out of trouble.” His brows lowered and he frowned.

“What’s that brat getting up to? What do you mean by that?” His voice had become a threatening growl. She shivered in delight and thought briefly about taking him back to bed.

“You know if I thought for an instant that the two of you could play nicely I would take you along, but you have just proved to me, again, that you simply cannot be trusted to keep your mouth shut around him.” She ran a hand through his hair and smiled at him, affection for this prickly man filling her. He was glowering at her and all it was doing was making her want him. “I’ll see you later this evening.”

She turned and limped from the room, leaving him scowling and growling behind her. She summoned her backpack from the bedroom, slung it over her shoulder and headed off to Gryffindor Tower, humming as she clumped along.