Love Thy Enemy

CHAPTER 32: Moonlight and Daisy Chains







Hermione walked into Lucius study, not at all surprised to see him bent over his desk. The man was a workaholic and he spent way too many hours hunched over his desk. Hermione walked up behind him and set her hands on his shoulders, kneading the tight muscles. She let her fingertips press into the knotted, tense flesh of his shoulders and neck while he rested his head against the back of the chair and moaned softly.





“What are you doing?” She asked, peering over his shoulder at the open ledger on his desk.





“Going over Longbottom’s books.” He said, his eyes closed as he enjoyed her relaxing manipulation of his shoulders.





“I thought you were just an investor in Neville’s company?” Hermione began to run her fingers over his hair, her nails scratching lightly over his scalp.





“I am, but a good investor keeps track of how his money is being spent, or he makes no money.” He mumbled, hypnotized by her touch. If she kept it up, he would go to sleep.





“You don’t need to make anymore money.” She said, pulling the ribbon tying back his hair and rubbing the spot she knew would be sore at the base of his skull. He held his hand out for the ribbon, and she dropped it into his palm with a smile. He had gotten accustomed to the fact that his wife liked his hair loose, and would always pull his ribbon if she saw him with it tied back.





“I don’t need to, but I like to. I like money. I like business. I really like what you are doing there.” He let his head fall forward as she stroked the back of his neck.





“If you can spare the time, it is a lovely evening and the gardens are blooming. Would you like to join me for a walk?” She asked.





“I suppose I can spare a little time.” He said, closing the ledger and locking it into his desk drawer. “I hope it isn’t too windy since you feel the need to unbind my hair.” He offered her his arm and led her from his study.





“I told you, I like it loose and you look uncomfortable when you tie it back.” She said as they made their way through the house and out the back.





“I didn’t think you liked anything about me.” They descended the broad, curved stairs that led from the terrace and out to a stone pathway.







“Oh, there are things about you that I like very much. Your hair being one of them.” She said with a smile.





“And some of the others?” He inquired as they entered the large hedge maze.







“Let’s see…you can hold a conversation about something other than Quidditch. You are a rather good dancer. A very good kisser, and I absolutely adore sleeping with you.” She said with a laugh.





“So you like me for my conversation and my prowess in the bedroom.” Lucius pretended to think on it. “I suppose I can live with that.”





“And what about me, do you like anything about me, Lucius?” She asked, sliding her hand down his arm and threading her fingers through his.





“Well, let me think about that.” He said, trying not to smile.







“Don’t think too hard on it.” She said sarcastically as they rounded the corner into a small courtyard within the maze. A fountain with naked nymphs dancing in the center burbled softly.





“You are a clever girl and a delight to talk to. I find your passion and your eagerness to please priceless.” He gave her fingers a squeeze.





“Do you realize we haven’t argued in several days?” She asked as they made their way down another long corridor of shrubbery that opened into a large flower garden just off the pond.





“Should we find something to debate?” He asked.





“Nope, I am quite happy. Let’s sit here for awhile.” She said, indicating the grass alongside the pond.





“On the ground?” Lucius was looking at her as though she had lost her mind.





“Yes, on the ground, where else would we sit?”





“But it’s dirty on the ground.” He said, frowning.





“Oh good grief Lucius, will you just relax?” She turned those pleading amber eyes up at him and he folded. He reached into his pocket for his hankie and then took his wand and transfigured it into a large green blanket.





“There now, are you happy?” He asked, settling onto the blanket beside her. It was a very warm evening so he removed his robes and unfastened the top buttons on his shirt.





“Yes.” She smiled as she removed her shoes and set them aside. She crossed her legs Indian style and tucked her full skirt between her legs. “What was it like in Azkaban?” She asked, reaching out to pick several small, pink blooms from the flower bed beside them.





“Why on earth would you want to know about that?” He asked, watching her pile the little flowers in front of her and then start tying them together by their stems.





“Curious I suppose.” Hermione shrugged.





“It was cold. Even to me it was cold and you know I am almost always over warm. It was dark, and it was dirty.” He said. “The food was disgusting and the company was less than…inspiring.”





“I’m sorry you were there.” She said quietly, twining the little rope of blooms around her ankle.





“I’m sorry I wasn’t a better man.” He said. “What are you doing?”





“Making a daisy chain.” She said, reaching for more of the little flowers and tying them together.





“Those aren’t daisies, its verbena imported from North America. Why would you want to make a chain of them?” He asked.





“For fun? Because it’s sweet. Didn’t you ever make a Fairy Crown for a girl when you were younger?”





“No, I’m not fond of fairies, tricky little buggers. If I wanted to give a lady flowers then I sent her flowers.” He said.





“I meant when you were a boy, a teenager trying to romance your first girl.”





“Again, I would have sent her flowers.” He looked out over the horizon and watched the sun set behind the forest that enclosed his property.





“It’s not the same.” She said, tying together more little blooms to make a crown and setting it atop her head.





“Are you telling me you would rather have a man sit in the dirt and tie a bunch of flowers together than have someone send you a beautiful vase of rare flowers?” He asked, looking at her askance.





“Yes, I would.” She smiled, lying back on the blanket and watching the colors in the sky change as the sun went down and night crept in. Lucius shook his head and touched the little pink crown atop her curls. She had her hands lying loose above her head as he looked down at her.





“You are an odd woman Hermione Malfoy. But if its daisy chains my lady wants….” He said, an odd light beginning to shine in his eyes. “….then daisy chains she shall have.” He raised his brows and reached for his wand. “Effloresco funis.”





Long vines covered in tiny white flowers slithered from the flower beds around them and wound around her wrists.





“What…?” Hermione pulled against the vines, but they held tight. “Lucius what are you doing?”





“Making you daisy chains.” He said, running his wand along the neckline of the sundress she was wearing. “Aren’t they pretty?”





“I can’t move my hands….” She said, tugging on them again. She bit her lip gently when she felt the end of his wand dip into her cleavage.





“That’s the point, love. I promised you that when my turn came around that my bonds would be tighter. So be a good girl, and let me have my way.” He smirked, turning her words back on her.





“Someone could see us out here, Lucius.” She panted softly as he untied the little straps on her shoulders.







“No one will see us. We are far more private here than in our box at the concert hall.” He tugged her bodice down and admired the soft lavender color of her strapless bra. He pulled her dress down over her hips and legs and tossed it aside. He skimmed his hand down her torso lightly, and then he reached above her head and plucked a calla lily from another area of the flower bed. “You look pretty lying here among my gardens in the moonlight, like a nymph.”





Lucius trailed the soft petals of the flower over her up-stretched arms, tickling the sensitive undersides of her arms. He brushed over the swells of her breasts and down the valley between them. She whimpered softly when it circled her navel and then traced the crease where thigh and pelvis met.





She sucked in her breath and writhed against the blanket as he continued to trail the soft bloom along her thighs and down over the tops of her feet, tickling her instep.





“Are you going to torture me?” She asked. She felt as though she were on fire in her need for him to come closer so she could feel the weight of him on her.





“No, not this time at least, we’ll visit that at a later date.” He smirked, tossing the lily aside. He took his time removing her bra and panties, smiling when he saw the fading letters of his initials between her thighs. He stretched out along side her and pushed her hair back off of her shoulders.





“Are you ever going to kiss me?” She whispered. Lucius lowered his head and covered her lips with his. His slow, tender exploration of her mouth was almost as torturous as the soft petals of the lily brushing over her skin. Lucius’s kisses had the ability to unhinge her completely and that response both frightened and exhilarated her.





“I’ll be doing more than kissing you.” He said, skimming his fingertips over her chest in soft circles. “Your skin is always so soft, and you always smell like strawberries or peaches.” He kissed the hollow at the base of her throat, then slid his lips slowly over her collar bones. His touch skated along the outside curve of her breast and then along the underside and back up the inside curve. He circled the plump flesh again and again with a feather light touch.





The combination of his touch and the warm breeze of early summer blowing over her had her breaking out in gooseflesh. Lucius watched her nipples pucker and leaned in to taste her. Hermione arched her back and pressed her breasts up, encouraging him to take more of her into his mouth. Lucius smiled against her skin, but only circled and flicked the nipple with the tip of his tongue before moving to the other one and tormenting it in the same fashion.





Hermione was clearly growing frustrated and tugging at the floral ropes binding her wrists. She watched him, those amber eyes never wavering. Curiosity, a little fear, and a whole lot of excitement combined in her gaze. Lucius stood up and began to remove his own clothing. He moved at a slow, leisurely pace and she watched him through appreciative eyes. Lucius removed his shoes and tucked his socks inside them. He stood over her as he unbuttoned his shirt, starting with his cuffs, then the front. She licked her lips unconsciously when he pulled it off and dropped it to the blanket at her feet.





He liked seeing that involuntary demonstration of her desire, liked knowing that even if he could never invoke stronger feelings for him, the passion between them came easily, naturally.





“You look like you want to take a bite, love.” His eyes remained on her while he unbuttoned his trousers and slowly lowered the zipper. He didn’t remove them, he just left them open, and left her longing to see what she knew lay hidden beneath the material. Lucius moved to stand at her feet. He had to give himself points for creativity. He hadn’t planned on a romp in the gardens, he had thought merely to enjoy a walk and take in the view. Her little bout of floral creativity had inspired him, and he had to admit, she looked pretty lying there naked wearing nothing but a little chain of flowers around one ankle, a crown of blooms on her head and a rope of flowers around her wrists.





“Bend your knees and open your legs.” He ordered in a low, hushed tone.





“What?” She asked. A soft flush began creeping over her neck and chest.





“Bend your knees and open your legs, now.” He nudged the inside of her foot gently with his. She complied slowly, bending her knees and sliding her legs apart. Lucius stood there staring down between her parted thighs. The moonlight shone from behind him, illuminating his light coloring and making him look celestial.





He moved gracefully to his knees between her legs and laid his palms against her inner thigh. Hermione was always amazed at the heat that radiated from the man. He seemed to burn from within and she wanted him to cover her and warm her. He seemed intent on torment however as he pushed her thighs wider apart so he could look at her.





Seemed everything would remind him of flowers at that moment, because as he looked betwixt her thighs he could see the plump petals of her sex, slightly parted and glistening with dew. He ran his finger between those soft folds with a light touch and she cried out softly, arching her hips in a plea for more.





“Prettier than any flower in the garden.” He kissed the inside of one thigh, and then the other. He licked slowly along the crease where thigh met hip, then traced his initials with the tip of his tongue. Lucius slipped his fingers between her folds and parted them before running his tongue along one side and then the other, carefully avoiding the tight bundle of nerves that swelled and throbbed with need. He circled her entrance before dipping his tongue inside to sample the nectar gathering there.





Her thighs shook and she moaned inarticulately. Her face was flushed and she was almost hyperventilating she was breathing so heavily, but she watched him still. He lapped at her with the flat of his tongue, licking from opening to clit in one long, slow glide. Her hips bucked from the blanket hard and Lucius had to lay his forearm over her hips to keep her still when he began to tantalize her swollen bud with his tongue. He took her to the edge again and again, backing off each time just before she could step over.





He stood and removed his trousers and boxers and then returned to his knees. He lifted her hips and slid his knees beneath her bottom, draping one of her legs over his arm. He took his erection in his other hand and rubbed it slowly up and down her wet center, pressing the tip barely inside her and pulling out again. He repeated the pattern over and over, sliding inside a little more each time.





“You are trying to kill me aren’t you?” She whimpered, a fine sheen of perspiration beginning to form on her skin.







“What was it you said? My ride, my way?” He hooked his arm beneath her other leg and pressed forward, watching his rigid flesh disappear inside her slowly before pulling back. Over and over he moved slowly in and out of her, watching his plundering of her young body. His thoughts became more and more possessive, but his pace remained slow and steady. She tried to thrust against him, but the way he held her, hips on his knees, legs draped over his arms, made it impossible to get the leverage required.





“Please…..you are killing me….” She begged, tugging hard on vines.





“No…I know what you need, trust me…I’ll make sure you get it.” His arctic gaze burned hot as he leaned over her slightly, pressing her legs back and changing the angle of his thrusts. He didn’t speed up, but he thrust harder, deeper. She was practically wailing as the pressure low in her belly began to build. She was going to catch fire and it felt like she would splinter into a million pieces. “Just a little more….” He reached between her legs and stroked her clit with his thumb. He could feel her tightening around him in anticipation, knew she was close. “Come for me.” He pressed hard against the firm little bud and thrust hard into her at the same time.





Her back arched high off of the blanket as she cried out into the night. Her body convulsed tightly around him as he continued to pump his shaft into her pulsing core. The feel of her snug walls clutching greedily at him pushed him to thrust harder, faster inside her. Her contractions grew tighter, more intense. She was whimpering helplessly, a slave to the pleasure of his body moving within her.





It didn’t take long for him to follow her, thrusting hard and deep as he filled her with his seed. He dropped her thighs and fell forward over her as he filled her, her body continuing to pulse around him. He buried is face in the side of her neck as his hand closed over his wand and released the vines holding her.





“Lower your arms slowly.” He said into her damp skin as he rubbed her arms and shoulders. “I love the way you come apart in my arms.”





“And I love being in your arms.” She was running her hands up and down his sweat dampened back. “There isn’t another place I would rather be.” She said sleepily. Lucius smiled, wondering if she even realized what she was saying in her post coital haze. “You overwhelm me, my love.”





Lucius tensed; surely that was just a slip. He raised his head and looked down at her. Her face was flushed and her eyes were closed. She was only half conscious at that point and he doubted she knew what she had said.





“Don’t go to sleep in the garden, little fairy.” He disapparated them and their clothing to their bedroom and tucked her into bed. He pulled her crown of flowers from her hair and dangled the silly little circlet from his finger. He smiled and carried it over to his bureau where he tucked it into his drawer before joining her in their bed. Hermione snuggled into his side, seeking his warmth and the comfort of his big body beside her.



‘She makes me feel alive again.’ That was his last thought before sliding off into dreamless oblivion.







Well….they haven’t quite realized yet how nicely things are falling into place….but don’t expect either of them to quietly….and don’t think that Shacklebolt is done meddling either…..







AngelBaby – don’t worry about being slow to catch on….the more kids I have the slower I am to process a rational thought……I think being a parent kills brain cells.





LaBib – I will keep the profile posted. I love Jayne Anne Krentz(and her many forms), I especially love the Harmony books….I want me a ghost hunter LOL….love the Dark-Hunter series….cant wait for Ash’s story, LOVE Simi…..I am a huge fan of Lori Foster, and she gives fantastic advice, she told me to write what makes me happy, that’s all that really matters. Katie Macallister’s Dragon series is kick ass….now as far as Historicals….Bertrice Small will forever be my favorite, she was the first romance author I ever read and her books are phenomenal, and slightly kinky….Christina Dodd and Julia Quinn are also favs in the historical genre…..The Mad Bad Duke….by Ashley Garner or one of her pen-names…I cant think for certain which….it was effing fantastic!





Now as for Lucius and Narcissa…..I think he loved her, he had a child with her. I commented in an earlier chapter that Lucius had maintained liaisons with other women in the past….I don’t think he had a passionate love for her though…..not like what I see happening with he and Hermione.









Effloresco Funis - I had to call a friend and this was the closest he could come to "Ropes of Flowers" in Latin....if anyone knows a better translation...let me know, I love learning new things