Heat

CHAPTER 8: Kissed Under Duress





Remus was growing tired of shopping very quickly. Hermione had dragged him by the hand into the market where she had ordered groceries to be delivered the next day. Then she had tugged him along to the pharmacy for first aid supplies because she knew he usually came out with at least one injury every full moon. A small hardware store provided them with a sleeping bag and lantern, and now he was wandering up and down the aisles of a small bookstore while she shopped.





“Is she yours?” Remus turned around and came face to face with the young man keeping the shop. He was tall, probably mid to late twenties with dark brown hair and blue eye that tracked Hermione’s every move. “I’m Joel by the way.”





“Remus.” He shook the young man’s hand, slightly annoyed by the way he was eyeing Hermione. “And yes, she is my wife.” He was amazed at how easily the little fib rolled off his tongue. But more than that, he was amazed at how good it sounded to him.





“She’s young.” Joel said, still watching her in a way that made Remus wary.





“She isn’t too young to be a wife.” He said pointedly. The alpha in him began to stir, and the need to assert his dominance and possession of the female was pressing in on him.





“You are a lucky man.” Joel said with a wry grin as Hermione approached.





“Remus look! They had a rather large selection on wolves.” She had a small stack of books in her hands as she smiled up at him.





“So the lady has an interest in wolves does she?” Joel asked, smiling a little too brightly at Hermione, despite Remus’s presence.





“I adore them.” She said, looking up at Remus. “You might say I have an insatiable passion for them.” Remus cleared his throat and turned towards Joel.





“If you wouldn’t mind totaling those up now.” Remus said tersely. He had no right to be irritated at the younger man, she wasn’t actually his, but Joel didn’t know that, and it was in exceptionally bad form to gawk openly at another man’s wife.





“Oh, of course.” Joel took the books and went behind the counter to total up her purchases. Hermione had noticed the young man’s attention, and better yet, she had noticed Remus’s reaction to it. He wasn’t too happy to see another man sniffing around.



Remus stiffened and growled softly when he felt Hermione’s arms slide around his waist and she rested her cheek against his back, her fingers toying with a button on his shirt as he completed the transaction for the books. Joel was watching the subtle play of the woman’s fingers on the older man’s abdomen and sighed enviously.



“You are definitely a lucky man.” He said low. Remus offered a tight smile in reply as he shifted out of Hermione’s embrace. He took her elbow and led her out of the shop. Hermione started laughing as soon as they were on the walk outside.





“I don’t see what is so funny.” Remus said, heading back towards the car to stow her books.





“It was cute. You didn’t like his interest in me did you?” She asked, taking his hand in hers.





“I just didn’t think it was appropriate for him to be ogling another man’s wife.” Remus unlocked the car and tossed her books into the back seat before grabbing the light cardigan she had brought with her from the passenger seat.





“So, you’re one of those husbands are you? The jealous sort?” She teased.





“If I actually were a husband, then yes, I would be the jealous sort.” He handed her the cardigan and locked the car again. “You may need that, it’s getting late and even in the summer the nights can be chilly.”





“How sweet of you to consider my comfort.” It wasn’t just a matter of keeping her from becoming chilled. He actually had high hopes that she would put it on and cover her bare back and the snug fitting bodice of the dress. It was more for his comfort than hers.





“Are you certain you wish to go to the pub? It already looks pretty crowded.” Remus said as they looked in through the front window. It was already filled with the townsfolk and the band was setting up near the back.



“Of course I do! Who knows how long we will be here before Sirius sends for us, we might as well enjoy ourselves.” She said. With a resigned sigh Remus opened the door and allowed her to precede him into the pub. They were immediately besieged by Angus upon entry.





“Welcome!” He cried, hugging Hermione and offering his hand to Remus. “So glad you could make it.”





“We wouldn’t have missed it.” Hermione said. “Thank you so much for inviting us.”





“Nonsense, this is your home for however long you are with us, so you should get to know the people and the way of life here.” Angus led them to a long bench that ran the entire length of one wall with several small tables dotted in front of it. “Have a seat and I’ll get you some dinner and a couple of pints.” Remus slid onto the bench alongside Hermione as Angus trotted off to the back. He returned quickly carrying two glasses of dark beer and following behind him was a young couple carrying two plates of food.





“This is my son Shane and his bride Maureen.” Angus said as he placed the drinks on the table and stepped back to allow his son to serve the smoked salmon and vegetables that was the evenings meal. “Shane and Maureen, this is the newlywed couple I was telling you about, the ones who rented the cabin. Remus and Hermione.” Shane smiled and extended his hand.





“Welcome to Inis Oirr. English are you?” He asked, with no animosity detectable in his voice.





“Yes, we are from London.” Remus answered.





“Well, things are a mite slower here then what you are probably used to, may take you some time to acclimate. I own the pub, and the band over there is Maureen’s brothers.” He said, gesturing towards the men setting up. “I suggest you eat up before the place gets full, once the dancing begins things get a big rowdy in here.” He smiled.





“Thank you very much Shane.” Hermione smiled. Shane waved and headed back to the kitchen. Hermione and Remus ate quickly as the pub continued to fill up rapidly. By the time the band began to play, Remus and Hermione had been shoved so tightly together that Remus had to put his arm around her shoulders to make them more comfortable.





Remus actually seemed to relax and enjoy the music, and Hermione found herself watching him more than the crowd. The band took a quick break and Angus stepped up the microphone.





“Dia Duit.” He called out to the crowd.



“Dia’s Muire Duit!” The crowd replied.





“Welcome everyone. It’s wonderful to see you all, and thank you for coming out tonight. I wanted to take a moment and introduce you all to the newest additions to our little community. Remus and Hermione Williams…newlyweds. Don’t be shy, stand up and say hello!”





Remus groaned and got to his feet, a tight smile on his face as he and Hermione were called out in front of the entire town.



“Newlyweds eh?” Called an older man from the corner. Hermione smiled and nodded her head.



“What are you waiting for? Kiss the lass!” another patron yelled out. The room erupted in to cheers and a steady chant of “Kiss her! Kiss her!”. Hermione was tickled with the turn of events, she couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to initiate intimacy with Remus without him panicking. She lifted her brows and looked up at him. She could see that he was torn. He knew that by kissing her, it would open up a door best left closed. He also knew that to refuse would set people to wondering about them. It was bad enough that they were now the center of attention, hopefully no one there was a witch or wizard with nefarious associations.





Resigned, Remus leaned in and bussed her lips quickly. Hermione pouted, slightly disappointed.



“Come on man, I kiss my grandmother with more feeling than that!” This came from Shane who was tending bar.





Hermione decided it was up to her. She cupped the back of his head and tugged him down to meet her kiss. Her lips parted and she could feel his sharp intake of breath as she kissed him. He didn’t respond at first, stunned by the feel of her lips moving over his. Her nails curled into the back of his neck and pressed his mouth tighter to hers, her little tongue licking playfully at his lips. He responded then without thought to their audience, or the consequences of his actions.





He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. Lips parted slightly and a gentle exploration of tongues made up the most passionate, intense kiss he had ever known. Not that he had known many. Hermione moaned softly into his mouth and his fingers tightened into the soft skin of her back.





“Now that’s the way you kiss your wife!” Shane called out laughing. The entire room erupted into cheers and whistles, and the band began to play. Remus pulled back and looked down at Hermione. She looked just as amazed as he felt from the power of the kiss.





“Well…you may not be able to judge your own technique, but I can tell you its damned fine Remus.” Hermione whispered. Remus removed his arms from around her and sat back on the bench. Hermione went to join him but the crowd had shifted and there was no longer any space. So with a slight smirk she leapt at the opportunity presented and sat on his lap.



“Hermione, don’t!” Her spine stiffened instantly when she felt the telltale ridge beneath her bottom. She turned slowly to look over her shoulder at the blushing wolf.





“Wow, now that is impressive Remus.” His head fell forward and he shook it slowly. It was done, he had tasted her and now he wanted more, it was only a matter of time before the little witch and the wolf won, and Remus would fall. He feared he may not recover from the landing.











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Well, our Hermione got to first base LOL, and now that Remus has had a bite….can he resist a full serving?





Dia Duit(Dee-ah gwitt) is a common form of Hello….the literal translation is “God to You” The reply Dia’s Muire Duit(Dee-ah iss mweerah gwitt) means “God and Mary to you” I get a lot of these translations from my cousin Mary in Cork. At first I tried to write the townsfolk speech based on my experience with family and friends…but that was way too difficult to accomplish and many would not understand a word of it. When family comes to visit or we go over there, I spend a lot of time with a confused look on my face trying to figure out what in the hell had just been said. Factoid: If someone asks you about the Bogs….they don’t mean a swamp, they need to potty LOL