Seduction by Design

Seduction By Design



Chapter Four

As he was about to retire after what was purposely a very long day over a hot cauldron, he tried not to pay much attention to her as she followed him back to his rooms. He tried to ignore her when she poured herself a drink. He tried to be oblivious to her as he prepared to take a hot shower and go straight to bed for a night of uneventful and undisturbed sleep. Not such a simple task when she cornered him and put her tongue into his mouth. Merlin, she must have been a Slytherin in a former life to hold such power over him! Her mouth was so hot and ardent he almost forgot that he was supposed to be resisting her. He deepened the kiss inadvertently, savoring the burn of the fire whisky combined with the sweetness of her on his tongue. Lords, she was delicious.

One of her arms went around his neck, the other down his stomach to his belt and lower still, cupping him through the confining fabric of his trousers. The shock of her boldness made him catch his breath, and he pushed her away as if he had been burned.

“What is it now?” she demanded, her lips swollen and tempting. She looked as irritated as she sounded.

“No.” he moved away from her, pouring his own drink. Anything to deaden the newfound and the long forgotten senses she aroused. One drink wouldn’t cover it. Ten probably could try. Hell, he would have to refill his liquor cabinet after tonight.

She threw her self down into one of the chairs they had made love in the night prior and picked up her drink again. “Are you still going on? Severus, you really need to learn when to shut up and accept circumstance.” she rolled her eyes. “I want you, you want me, we pair well and can - have made each other quite happy. What else is there to discuss?”

Simple girl. So naive.

“Go to bed, Miss Granger.” he said in a cold, removed tone, sitting down in the opposite chair but not staring at her. With a flick of his wand, the fire started.

This did not please her. She stood up and knocked his drink in the fire, causing the fire to flare up dramatically at the extra stimulus. “Back to ‘Miss Granger’ are we?” she growled. In the light of the fire, her face twisted in anger, she was not very pretty. She was quite tired looking and well, frankly scary. “Fuck you, Severus Snape. Fuck you and your self-imposed sainthood. You pretend to be such a snarky prat to push everyone away, never letting anyone see the true nature of your desires. You finally open up to me and as quick as I was able to find it, you closed it. Are you protecting yourself? Or protecting me? I don’t know. I tried to use logic, allow you to become at ease with me, and I thought I could learn to wait for your eventual acceptance. I am here offering you a chance for happiness on a silver platter. Last night proved that you want it. Why are you being so stubborn?”

He paused, taking another drink. “Hardheadedness is a trait we both share.” he admitted. An unfortunate one at that, he thought, but those words did not come. “I do not owe you anything Miss Granger. Least of all an explanation of who I am. One lapse in judgment does not a relationship make. I do not know exactly what you want from me, but it is obviously too much. We are but master and apprentice and shall be nothing more.”

“Oh Severus.” her face softened, and she sat back down. “But I do I know you so well…it hurts sometimes.”

Oh hell. He hadn’t been prepared for her to use emotion to get a response from him.

“I love you, you stupid, stupid man.”

Oh bloody hell. Worked every bloody time.

“I love you because of your strengths and because of your weaknesses. Your flaws are beautiful to me, your mistakes forgotten. I have only ever desired wisdom as much as I desire you. Don’t push me away, because I won’t be denied.”

Merlin. Did he just die and go straight to purgatory? Did the frigid Virgin Queen of Gryffindor, Know-it-all Mudblood, just declare her love for the Greasy Git? He was unsure if he heard properly. Sex and lust he was familiar with, simple basic, bestial acts…but the emotion response of love…this was some horrid, cruel joke. And he wasn’t laughing. He knew it was going to be hard to push aside the lust. It was going to be Herculean to cast off an emotion that strong without anyone getting hurt. It was going to be hard to push her away.

So incredibly hard it hurt. Physically, deep in the depths of that remained of his soul. Here she was, offering heaven when he had spent eternity in banished to hell. She said she knew him, but there was no way she or anyone could ever truly know the layers that encompassed Severus Snape.

A very large part of him was enraptured by this girl, her unconventional beauty, her intuitive mind, her kind heart. She was more than he could have ever hoped for, in a lover and more.

But ultimately, the smaller part of him, his intuitive common sense that guided the larger part into calm water, won.

“Severus.” she called to him, the sound of his name trying to break through his defenses.

Before he could fight her, push her away, she had climbed up onto his lap and kissed him. Her mouth was quite useful when not speaking, her hands curled around his neck and into his hair. Gods, she tasted so sweet, like ambrosia. He could feel his undoing in her mouth, her tongue wantonly caressing his own. His arms began to work again and they wrapped themselves around her body, pulling her closer to him. He liked the weight of her, not too much, the feel, just soft enough. Before he could control himself, he had pulled her astride in his lap and his hands had settled onto her thighs while the heat of her lay right on top of him, their bodies almost joined if not for the confines of layers of fabric.

He was responding to favorably to her, and didn’t like it one bit. He grabbed her again, but this time by the arms, pushing her mouth off his. “I am not a kind man,” he said darkly.

“I know,” she whispered, her fingers gently stroking his cheek.

“I am not patient or romantic and will never buy you flowers or chocolates or hold your hand.”

She nodded, but did she really appreciate the information she was being given?

“You will never understand my past or why I do not speak to my family. You may never look into my past without my permission. You may never correct me in front of anyone.”

She nodded again.

“And most importantly, you will never have my heart, for I have none.” he pushed her away from him, onto the ground.

She looked up at him, her eyes watering. He never remembered her looking so beautiful.

“Leave me alone, Miss Granger.” Severus Snape glared into the fire again. “Forget me and forget whatever intention you have towards me, because while my body way betray me, my mind knows what is right – and it isn’t you.”

Wordlessly, she rose to her feet and fled.

He picked up her drink and took a long, deep sip. It was going to be a very long night indeed.



AN: I know this was short, I’m sorry! But chapter 5 is going to be hot.