An Unexpected Visitor

He watched her slip into the pool, and it took all the self-control he possessed not to ravage her right then. You are her friend, nothing more...remember that. He slipped his robe off rather self-consciously and placed it on top of hers, watching her as she looked at him in what he could only assume was pity, and got into the water and sat next to her, trying not to notice how much he wanted her right then. \"I feel more relaxed already,\" he said to dispel his awkwardness.

She smiled at him, and took his hand again, under the water this time, and settled her head on his shoulder. \"As do I.\" She had tried not to stare when he had taken his robe off, but was unable not to. His pale skin glistened, and his thick dark hair shone against it. His well-defined muscles stopped her breath for an instant, and she had shaken her head to rid herself of the thoughts his body had brought to her mind. \"This was a wonderful idea, Severus. I haven\'t been here in years.\"

He had stiffened when she had laid her head on his shoulder, and forced himself to relax for her sake. After she had finished talking, he smiled and tugged on her hand, pulling her out towards the middle of the pool. She laughed and came with him, not once letting go of his hand, and when they reached the slightly deeper water, she smirked and loosed her grip on his hand. \"Come catch me Severus, like you used to.\" And with another laugh she dived under the water and swam away from him, coming up only when her lungs screamed for air on the other side of the massive pool.

He chuckled and watched her dive, remembering the game from when she had first gotten married, before Lucius had nearly forbid her to see him. When she surfaced, smiling at him playfully, he too dived under the water, and in a few seconds had easily covered the distance to her, and slipped his arms around her waist before surfacing and smiling back at her.

\"You made that too easy. I\'ll give you another chance, but only the one.\" Merlin but she felt right in his arms. He dropped his arms from around her waist and splashed her. \"Go on, off with you, but if I catch you this time I won\'t let you go again.\"

She laughed and nodded, and slipped back under the water, swimming as fast as she could, when suddenly she felt hands skim the bottom of her feet. She turned quickly to the left and narrowly avoided him grabbing her ankle, and with a small burst of speed, surfaced for air, and dove again, as he did the same. They danced under the water like this for some time, and all the while she narrowly avoided capture by him, thankful he surfaced the same time she did for air, and silently thinking he was probably doing it on purpose, which made her smile inwardly.

Suddenly she felt a strong pair of arms encircle her waist and pull her to the surface, and she turned around in his embrace, laughing as they broke the surface of the water. He laughed as well, pulling her close against him, unconsciously tightening his arms around her waist. \"I warned you I wouldn\'t let you go this time.\"

She felt something coiling inside her as he pulled her close, and shifted slightly in his arms. \"No one said you had to Severus.\" Her stomach fluttered nervously, and she wondered suddenly what her life would have been like if she had been allowed to choose whom she married. She leaned her head on his chest, and wrapped her own arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she traced her fingers in a pattern on his back. \"And I truly don\'t want you too.\"

He looked at her, her blond hair darker from being wet, so perfect and right in his arms. Did I hear her correctly? Of course you did, you fool. She just doesn\'t mean it the way you want her to. He wanted to pull away, but couldn\'t bear the thought of losing one second of this before he had too, so he rested his head on top of hers and ran one hand through her hair, letting his hand drift down to the back of her neck. He began to rub softly, feeling the knotted muscles under his hand, and she relaxed even more as he massaged her tenseness away.

She pulled her head back from underneath his, enough so she could look up at him. He swore inwardly, thinking that he had pushed the boundaries of friendship too far, until he noticed the look her eyes shone with, and her slightly open mouth that screamed out at him to kiss her. He bent his head until he was close enough to feel her breath on his lips, and looked into her eyes. Seeing no hesitation, he brushed his lips softly against hers, and was rewarded by a small whimper issuing forth from her.

She pulled her arms from around his waist and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer, and she whimpered into his kiss again. This time he deepened the kiss, threading his fingers in her hair and slipping his tongue inside her mouth. She wrapped her tongue around his, and sucked hungrily at him, pressing herself into his body and moaning into his mouth, her hand tangling in his hair as well and intensifying the kiss until all she knew was the taste and feel of his lips.