The Wild Escape - chapter 10
Title: The Wild Escape - chapter 10 (LAST one)
Status: Short story
Rated: explicit content
Characters: House and Cuddy
Summary: After Help Me - This story depicts a vision of season 7 premiere, extrapolated from the various pics that've been available on the Internet lately...
(could be considered as a sort of sequel to "There Is A Us")
Disclaimer: OK. Fine! it's not (all) mine. It belongs to David Shore, the lucky b... * sigh*
** THE WILD ESCAPE **
After a silent ride home, they arrived at her house and Cuddy parked her car inside the garage. She turned the engine off and tilted her head to the side to look at House with a shy smile. He read uneasiness in the depth of her eyes or embarrassment, or both, and he quite immediately translated it into what he thought bothered her.
"You want me to wait here while you deal with the sitter?"
She arched her eyebrows in surprise, but simultaneously bit her lips, like someone who knows they've just been caught red-handed.
"No, why?" She lied.
"I don't know: two days, two different men..."
Cuddy took a deep breath and stared intensely at the steering wheel in front of her. Then she turned to the side and looked at him with sorry eyes.
"That thought really did cross my mind, didn't it?" She said with a bit of sadness in her voice.
He reached out his hand and touched her thigh, just above her knee. She shivered and covered his hand with hers.
"Yeah, it did!" He said evenly. "But that's ok. I mean, I don't have to meet the babysitter on our first day anyway, do I?"
She smiled.
"No it's not ok. And yes, you have to meet the babysitter on our first day. But mostly because, do I need to remind you, you said you would be the one paying her; and judging by how late it is, you owe her a lot of money! Money, I have no intention of paying on your behalf!"
"Hey but that's your kid she looked after all day!" He protested, for the sake of it.
"Yes, but that's your escapade that made her stay. She'd have gone home hours ago if I had just spent the day at the hospital."
"Our escapade" He corrected and a manly smile lit his face.
She squeezed his long fingers inside her slender hand and sighed voluptuously, but she suddenly released his hand from her grab and took the key out of the starter.
"Let's go!" She said decidedly, opening the door and stepping out of her car.
She disappeared inside her house and he followed her, limping with a strange extra swing, no longer compensated by his cane now that he'd thrown it somewhere in Ashbury Park, in a dark street near the Stone Pony. He closed the door behind him, a roguish smile on his face and entered via the storeroom in her back kitchen. The lights in the room were off but he could still distinctively see the objects and furniture surrounding him, a faint light coming from the lobby suffusing the kitchen with a blurry orange halo. From the hallway, he heard the sounds of Cuddy's voice and the Spanish accent of the nanny answering back with a low reassuring tone. Then the flow of words subsided, died down, and silence invaded the place again. That's when House realized he was still in the kitchen, standing still and almost holding his breath as if he was hidden there like a dirty secret. But who, other than himself was to blame for this stupid reaction? He shook his head and headed to the hallway with a determined pace.
Marina was putting her coat on and turning her back to him so she didn't see him approach. He stopped behind her and conspicuously cleared his throat to let her know of his presence and she jumped with fright, instantly whirling around to face him with a hand covering her heart.
"Hola!" House said with a chanting voice, holding out his hands, "Don't panic, I'm not here to rob the house. I'm just-"
"House!"
Cuddy's exclamation resonated from the end of the hallway and Marina and House both turned their heads towards her. While she approached in what surely was one of her fastest paces, he pointed in her direction and squinted at Marina's baffled face.
"I'm with her." He said, just when Cuddy arrived at his level and stopped beside him, "and, she totally let me in voluntarily." He added, as she stared at him with warning eyes; but too late. "Isn't that right?"
He cracked a possessive, macho spank on her butt to punctuate his question, which made her instantly freeze; then after the few seconds it took her to recover, she turned her head to the side, shooting daggers at him, firmly resolute to kill him right there and then and dispose of his body somewhere in her backyard, with the help of Marina, who would have surely approved of her gesture.
"You are Dr. House?" The babysitter asked him with a wide smile, totally - and wisely -ignoring the extravagant scene she'd just been a witness of.
House smiled softly at her, while Cuddy tried to regain composure.
"Marina, Dr. House must pay you for the extra hours you did to-"
"Oh no, that's not necessary!" The nanny exclaimed, not letting go of House's eyes, who kept smiling at her with a mischievous grin.
Cuddy puffed incredulously.
"What? Marina, it's almost one thirty in the morning and-"
"Don't worry Ms Cuddy, Dr House and I already made an arrangement."
Cuddy's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"Technically I'm the one owing Dr. House the money-" Marina added.
"Tss, please! A deal is a deal!" House exclaimed, with an absolutely surreal shocked gentlemanliness.
Cuddy's jaws dropped in astonishment. She was no longer certain that all of that was really happening. Maybe she was just dreaming it: that day, though incredibly perfect in all its screwed up unique way, had exhausted her and maybe she was asleep, in her bed, imagining this conversation. Whatever it was, she didn't have the strength to find out anymore. Which, God bless her, Marina didn't fail to notice. She stooped down to get her purse at the foot of the coat rack and grabbed the doorknob.
"I'm going to go now, if you don't need me to stay longer."
"Yes Marina, thank you very much!" Cuddy said, not completely able to hide the little relief in her voice.
Standing behind Cuddy, House winked knowingly at Marina; she giggled in return and Cuddy swung around, squinting suspiciously at him, but his face was already back to being undecipherable and impassible as ever.
"What?" He said, repressing a chuckle. "You said it was late. We all need to go to bed now…"
Cuddy's breath itched and she opened her mouth to say something but opted not to. Marina left and Cuddy closed the door behind her, while House swiftly took advantage of the situation to fly away, strategy of retreat looking like his best option at the moment. When Cuddy turned around, she found herself alone in the middle of her entrance. She puffed, stunned by his sassiness and started to walk toward her bedroom but fumbling noises coming from the kitchen guided her there instead where she found him, leaned down with his head inside the refrigerator and his right hand holding the knob for leverage.
"You mind if I grab something to eat?" He asked, as soon as she stepped inside the room, without even lifting his head.
She came behind him and he straightened up, standing with his back facing her, silently waiting for her approval, or at least that's what she thought.
"Yeah su-" she began.
He turned around, chewing loudly, and brandishing something in front of her.
"What's that?"
"That, is a stick of celery."
"Yeah, I know it is. But what is the purpose of having that in your fridge? I mean, how are you supposed to soothe hunger pangs in the middle of the night with sticks of celery?"
"I don't need to soothe hunger pangs in the middle of the night. I don't have hunger pangs in the middle of the night." She answered defensively.
He studied her with a tantalizing smile for a brief moment and then put the celery down on the counter next to him before confidently yanking her in his arms. She stumbled, taken off guard, and landed against his chest.
"There're so many things you still need to experience." He teased, looking down at her.
"Like how to bribe my babysitter?" She frowned and raised her chin up towards his face.
"I was thinking about hunger pangs, but that too, yeah."
"What did Marina mean when she said you and her had an agreement?"
"Ha! Sorry, one lesson at a time!" He leaned down and came dangerously close to her mouth, blowing warm breaths on the pulp of her lips. "We were talking about being hungry." He whispered and she sucked in a wobbling breath, her shoulders slightly shivering.
"No you were talking about being hungry."
He let go of her and took a small step back.
"Geez Cuddy! Relax! You think I'm not capable of dealing responsibly with your nanny?"
"That's not what I said."
"So what's the problem?"
"There's no problem." She said, looking down at her feet, uneasily. "I'm just... I guess I'm not... used to seeing you like that."
"See? I told you: you still have a lot to learn..."
He pulled her back against him and she covered the side of his arms with her hands, planting her steel grey eyes in his fond gaze. He was right: things seemed to be so different already, despite them still being quite familiar. It was both puzzling and comforting at the same time and it made her head spin a little. She didn't realize she was slightly losing her balance, until he wound his arms tightly around her waist to maintain her up.
"You need to eat." He said, ordering more than suggesting.
"I'm not hungr-"
"You're dizzy."
"I'm tired."
"We haven't eaten since this afternoon. You're sugar deprived."
"I'm sleep deprived."
"Maybe, but I'm not going to help you solve that problem. Actually I strongly intend on making it worse for, let's say..." He flashed an incredibly roguish smile at her, "the next two hours at least..."
"In your dreams!"
She smiled.
He let go of her and looked inside the refrigerator again. She heard him mumble a few incoherent words and then he turned back to face her.
"Close your eyes." He said.
"Why? No!"
"It's an experiment."
"What experiment?"
"Close your eyes and you'll see."
She sighed resignedly, knowing that trying to resist would only cause her to lose some more time; time that only seemed to stand defiantly between her and her bed, as a sweet torture. She closed her eyes and fidgeted impatiently, waiting for whatever she was supposed to wait for.
"Open your mouth."
She opened her eyes instead and stared at him a bit aggravated.
"House, come on! Can't you just give me something to eat now so we can get this over with?"
He stubbornly stared back, silently, until she closed her eyes again, sighing, and opened her mouth. God! She thought, she really needed to stop that yielding weakness she was developing in his presence! And then she felt something cold and a little gummy on her tongue. She grimaced and swallowed half-heartedly.
"What's that?" She asked.
"That, is what's in your fridge!"
She opened her eyes and questioned him with a look of surprise.
"I have that in my fridge? No way! I don't eat that."
House brandished a cup to her, with a smile.
"Banana semolina pudding." He read on the label.
Cuddy snatched the cup out of his hand, putting it back in the fridge.
"It's Rachel's food." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Well lucky her! Cuz I'm pretty sure I picked the only decent food there is in your fridge!"
"House! Do you have a point?" She asked a little exasperated.
He froze and suddenly stared at her almost with panic in his eyes. The shadow she saw passing behind his gaze took her aback; and the extreme cautiousness with which he was looking at her, almost waiting to know what would come next - almost puzzled by that very idea - made her shiver. She took a step toward him and smiled tenderly.
"Now you know there's at least one person who eats decent food in this house." She said with a soft voice.
He sighed and bit his lower lip, as if he was searching for the right words; words he thought he didn't have. She read his distress and slowly closed the last inches that separated them to snuggle up against him. When she buried her face in his chest and gently rubbed her nose against his male-scented tee-shirt, she heard him took a deep breath and he cupped her skull with both his hands, caressing her hair tentatively.
"She's sleeping?" He asked with a raspy voice barely above a whisper.
Cuddy straightened up and looked at him incredulously.
"Rachel." He specified, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Yes, she is. She's sound asleep." She answered, huddling up against him again.
"Good." He murmured.
He enfolded her in his embrace, and she let herself go in his warmth, inhaling deeply and remaining perfectly still. And then she kissed him. On his chest, just where her mouth was; and she put her hands on his hips, sliding underneath his tee-shirt to touch his skin, and climbing up on his belly, drawing circles on his torso with her caresses. House didn't move at first, but she knew, without looking, that he had closed his eyes and tilted his head back a little. Only one day had passed and despite the novelty and somewhat frightening unknown that were standing ahead of them, there were things she'd already unveiled with absolute certainty; things that were the very reasons that had brought her back to him the night before; like the kind of lover he was, behind the mask and under the shell: delicate and caring; unselfish and tender.
She tugged at his collar, uncovering the crook of his neck and the hems of his bandage, and he leaned down slowly to meet her lips. It felt like a stroke, chin against chin, when he brushed his lips on hers and a wave of desire took hold of her. She let out a soft moan and claimed his mouth more impatiently, a powerful crave for contact pervading her. They deepened their kiss, and when she felt the touch of his callous hands on the small of her back, pressing her closer against him, she gripped his shoulders and bit in the pulp of his lips.
"I don't need to eat. I don't want-" She moaned throatily, into his mouth.
He pushed her against the counter and nose-dived into her neck.
"I know what you want." He blew along her carotid.
His nimble fingers fumbled with the buttons of her cardigan and he drew the tails apart to undress her, while his mouth continued to explore the sensitive spots in her nape. Shivering, she groped around and found his hands at the waistband of her pants. She seized his wrists and pushed them away before he had time to reach the next step.
"No-" She panted.
"No?"
She straightened up and looked at him with a reassuring lustful gaze, clearly saying that her 'no' was already half a 'yes'.
"Not here! As much as I... love sex in the kitchen, I'm not up for another round on a cold hard surface..." She pouted. "Sorry."
He grinned amused, and put out his hand to her. They exited the kitchen and once in the hallway, he stopped to kiss her again. She gave in, leaning her back on the wall and interlaced her fingers behind his neck to pull him down closer to her face. Nibbling, kissing, licking, caressing, she slowly but firmly tugged him with her, making him follow in her footsteps towards her bedroom. But, despite the compelling attraction she exercised on him, he grabbed her shoulders and made her break away from their embrace.
"No."
"No?" She'd started to smile, thinking he was just playing with her, but it died down on her lips when a sudden flustered look clouded his face over. "What's wrong?" She asked, feeling a sudden gush of awkwardness pervade her.
He looked down, self-consciously.
"I don't know if I really wanna go there."
"What? Wait, where?" She exclaimed.
"In your bed. Not sure I wanna be in those sheets..."
She bit her lips and stared at him, terrified by the meaning of his words. She felt cruel in an irrational way that she was totally incapable of containing and she looked up at him, mortified. He instantly came close to her and took her inside his arms.
"No, no, I don't mean it in that way! No, it's okay. It's not your fault. It's okay." He reassured her, gently cradling her face inside the palms of his hands. She closed her eyes and he leaned down to kiss her eyelids, softly.
"I'm gonna go home." He then said with a low voice.
She extricated from his embrace and look at him, disconcerted.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know... You're tired, I should let you sleep." He whispered.
"You can't go. You don't have your bike."
"I'll call a cab."
"No. I don't want you to go."
Her eyes were pleading but she'd managed to speak with a resolute tone. She stared at him, with an almost daring look.
"Ok."
She couldn't contain the sigh of relief that escaped her lips. She took his hand to guide him in the living room, and to the sofa, where she made him sit. She stood in front of him and, before he had the time to say anything, she took off both her tee-shirt and cardigan in one swift confident gesture. He arched his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled appreciatively.
"You said you had no intention of helping me with my lack of sleep..." She said mischievously, taking a step toward the couch.
"Did I?"
She put one knee alongside his thigh and bent over to his face, reaching out her arm behind his head to grip the backrest for leverage.
"Yeah. For at least two hours."
"And you believed me? You're so gullible!"
He chuckled.
"Yeah, who'd have known?" She answered with a hoarse voice, leaning down to his face.
He took a deep breath and squirmed on the couch underneath her.
"How's your leg?"
"Fine... It doesn't hurt too much."
"But it does?" She looked concerned.
As a unique answer, he tugged her wrist and it made her topple in his arms. She instantly repositioned herself to avoid applying pressure on his thigh and he smiled at her fondly. She stared back at him, silent, and suddenly her whole body ached for his caresses. Without wasting one more second, she threw herself to him and ravenously kissed him, while her hand slid at the waistband of his pants, trying to pull them down.
"I thought I looked sexy in those PJ pants..." He moaned inside her mouth, as she was struggling to remove them without breaking away from their kiss. She did anyway, and pulled away, panting.
"Not as sexy as you'll look without them." she said, suddenly jumping off the couch.
She kicked her shoes off, carelessly, and then wiggled frenziedly to take off her pants. Only moments after, she stood in front of him in her underwear, her cheeks flushed with desire and impatience. He studied her with a look of admiration mingled with bafflement, and when she leaned down to him, with a feline glitter in her steel grey eyes, he tipped his head back on the sofa's backrest and sucked in a sharp breath. She helped him get rid of his tee-shirt first, and she trailed a line of kisses on his chest, from his collarbone to his navel, rubbing her nose on his skin and feeling the up and down waves of his breathing cradling her softly. Then she seized the waistband of his PJs pants and slowly slid them off his legs, along with his boxers, finishing undressing him completely by taking off his sneakers and socks. Seated naked on her couch, House stared at her with a complete surrendering gaze, emotionally unguarded and serene like she thought she would never see him again.
The way he had let go of decades of pain and confusion with his patient the night before, with such uncensored honesty had been the signal of him starting to unlock his emotions and since then, every time she'd witnessed him appear so genuinely raw and fragile had equally fascinated her, just as she was feeling in that very moment, looking at him staring at her with expecting eyes. It made her almost want to cry; she could sense the flow of mingled emotions of joy, awe and desire brewing inside her and there was nothing she wanted to do more than make love to him and become his, unreservedly, once again.
She kneeled down between his legs and she put her hands on his thighs. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes and she saw his abdominal muscles contract in expectation, or apprehension, or maybe both so she began to run her fingertips on his skin. She didn't try to avoid his scar. She even trailed a little longer around and on it, just to show him she wasn't afraid, just to tell him she accepted it, just to let him know she didn't care: she wanted him like he was. Exactly like he was.
As her hands kept on fondling up and down the sides of his thighs, she leaned down and kissed him delicately. On his belly, on his hipbone, on his groin. His erection left no doubt about the growing desire he was feeling for her. She kissed him there, on the tip of his shaft, and along its length. Her hands climbed to his hips and she took him inside her mouth. He let out a loud gasp and he clenched his fists while she continued to caress and lick and kiss; and it felt so good. She felt so good, almighty and helpless at the same time. She had him at her mercy. He had her at his mercy. To feel him revive and throb with such powerful force under her tongue strokes made her feel more alive than she had ever been in months.
It was like crawling out of dark tunnel: overwhelming, soothing, and warming; so many feelings she had forgotten about... She was learning how to feel them again, finally, thanks to him...
He put out his hand and touched her shoulder; she lifted her face up to meet his eyes and he smiled at her.
"Come here." He told her with a raspy voice full of lust.
She stood up and he sat up straight in the couch, coming close to her. His head came at her midriff's level. He enfolded her in his arms and he rested his face on her stomach, squeezing her tight and laying light, tender kisses on her skin, while his fingers unhooked her bra. He pulled back and lost contact with her skin only for a few seconds, enough to slide the bra stripes off her arms and take it off of her. As she was still standing in front of him, her breasts exposed to him, he stroked the small of her back and the delicious, half tickling sensation made her jolt forward. She griped his shoulders to keep her balance and he came close to her again, taking one of her breasts inside his mouth, sucking her nipple with an absolute delicacy, awakening every one of her nerve endings and arousing her desire inexorably, higher and higher, until it made her purr like a cat, while the sway of her hips appealed him compellingly to the part of her body where she was aching to feel him. He knew what she was asking. Their love language, new to them, was however not completely unrevealed; it was like the burning reminiscence of their long-time repressed fantasies. They knew exactly what it meant, what it longed for. They knew what to do, without words. House instantly read her dance, deciphered her moans and understood her needs. He slid his hands inside her panties and grasped her ass cheeks, kneading her flesh with a lascivious rhythm, while his tongue on her breast kept twirling and licking and sucking skillfully.
She almost roared then and she instinctively clutched her fingers, planting her nails in his upper back. House slid her panties down to her calves. She stepped out of them and he leaned down to her lower abdomen, nipping her belly skin, where it was tender and thin, warm and soft as the softest silk. She stepped back and, with his hands on both sides of her waist, he motioned her to lie down on the couch. She let him guide her, following his moves and waiting for him to take the position he wanted to have. She lied down on the couch and stretched herself completely to welcome him above her. He positioned himself on top of her and sheltered her petite frame underneath his strapping body, accompanying his gesture with gentle caresses on her shoulders and arms.
She still remembered, from a long, long time ago. She shouldn't have been so amazed by how tender he was, and yet it struck her, irrepressibly. She would never have imagined that he could still be so gentle, now, again, despite all the pain he had lived through. She'd had irrational thoughts about him being a bitter, impatient lover or that life and loneliness would have scarred him just as his infarction had scarred his leg. She'd thought he would be cynical, less caring. But she was willing to love him even so. And now, it was not just about willing to love him anymore. She knew the moment she'd stepped in her bathroom that she was giving up on her will, her reasonable needs. She'd accepted to love him and it was more than just about willing to. Somehow, she was now condemned to.
Because there was no way out of this.
When she was feeling the touch of his hands on her like she was in that moment, when his breath was brushing the skin of her neck and all she could focus her mind on was the breath-taking sensation of him diving inside her, she knew there wasn't.
But she didn't care.
House put his right hand under the small of her back to maintain a close contact with her hips and he began to thrust inside her. Slowly. And within each shove, languorous and sensual, her gasps became louder. It felt like a wave inside her, unstoppable and overpowering. It simply took her breath away. His rhythm, his strength, his restraint, the movement of his hips. Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Her moans became cries and her back arched up towards him, to increase the sensation of his thrusts in her core. She wound one leg around his hip, then the other, and she encircled him, keeping him close, and imprisoning him inside her. She was panting lustfully and House gently kissed her lips, while his hand stroked her hair and he stopped moving for a second.
"No, again, again, again..." she pleaded inside his mouth, short of breath.
And he began to rock his hips again. Cuddy wound her arms around his neck and she threw her head back on the sofa's armrest. He nose-dived in her neck and nibbled her exposed skin and the rising flow of her orgasm took hold of her whole body, spreading in her stomach, contracting her muscles, jerking her limbs incoherently, and making her tremble from head to toe underneath him.
"Oh God yes, yes... yes... House, right there! Yes..."
She scraped him hard on his back and she squashed him between her toned legs and he collapsed onto her, panting through her hair. They remained immobile, him on top of her, recovering from their amazing ride, catching their breath, and after a short while, House rolled to the side, his back against the sofa's backrest and she slithered to come as close to him as she could. She reached out her arm above his shoulder and grabbed the comforter that was folded there to cover their bodies. He helped her spread it on top of them and once they found a new comfortable, warm position beneath the blanket, she sighed in pure bliss and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm never going to want to sleep again." She said, with a light chuckle in her voice.
He kissed her on her forehead and held her closer and tighter in his embrace.
"You can't stop sleeping. If you don't sleep, you'll die."
She lifted her head to look at him and rolled her eyes disapprovingly.
"Wow! I love pillow talk with you, it's so... what's the word?... comforting!"
"Well, that's true!" He faked to protest with a smile.
"I know. And I was not talking about that."
"I know what you were talking about. Sex maniac!"
"Are you complaining?"
"Me? Good God, no!" His hand was fondling the round shape of her shoulder, almost absent-mindedly. "I might get used to it." He added suddenly serious, his voice low and hoarse.
She took a deep voluptuous breath, and snuggled up against him, closing her eyes and letting his male scent fill her nostrils.
"You know that's the fourth time we're doing it today." He said point blank, still caressing her gently.
She propped herself up on her elbow and look at him dumbfounded.
"Are you starting a count of how many times we're having sex?" She asked bemused.
He stopped caressing her and wriggled until he pulled away from her enough to face her.
"No." He told her, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Then why do you say that?"
"Because..." He stared at her intensely, "it's one more time than the last time."
Her mouth dropped open slightly and she felt her heart pounding in her chest like drumbeats. Was he really talking about that night, so far away in time? The night she had tried to forget, unsuccessfully and forcefully so many times. The fact that he could remember that particular detail took her off guard in the most delightful way. She shivered and stared at him tenderly.
"I think... maybe it's a sign." He whispered tentatively.
"What sign?" She asked, putting out her hand to caress his cheek.
"That this is really going somewhere this time."
She bit her lips as the wave of tenderness overwhelmed her. Perhaps she'd made the worst decision in her life. Perhaps they would burn in hell and destroy each other. Perhaps they would end with their hearts shattered in pieces and forever wrecked. Only time would tell. But in that instant, may it have lasted just this one day, she still wouldn't have traded it for the world.
She came close to his face and kissed him with all the love he inspired her: sensually, and with insatiable hunger. No, she would never have enough of him. Not if he could be like that with her, must it only be for the moments when they would be just the two of them together. She didn't need more. Just him, cradling her in his arms and making her feel like the most fulfilled woman in the word.
"How about it starts with us going in my bedroom to sleep in a real bed?" She asked, cautiously, fearing that he would decline and leave, for the reasons he had evoked earlier.
He planted his baby blue eyes in hers and stared at her, resolutely mute.
"You know," She added, swallowing back her awkwardness, "I'm sure Marina changed the sh-"
He put his finger on her lips and silenced her.
"Shhh," He said, and then he smiled at her. "I don't care. All I want to do is sleep now. Somewhere comfortable; because maybe it's just the right size for your tiny little body, but in case you didn't notice, your blanket is as useful as a handkerchief for me!"
He pouted sulkily and pointed at his feet which extended beyond the woolen comforter. She burst into a spontaneous laughter, the knot in her throat suddenly eased by the relief she'd felt to know he would stay with her. She drew the blanket out and threw it away, uncovering their naked bodies and then she swiftly stood up and looked down at him with a playful smile.
"Come on, big boy," She said, teasingly, "I'm sure you can make it to five if you're in a real bed!"
And she exited the room, almost running, before he had time to get up.
" Hey! I said I wanted to sleep!" He shouted to her as she was probably already half-way down the hallway. He then looked at the messy heap of clothes on the floor and he smiled with mischief.
He got up, turned the lights off in the living room and with a light pace, barely limping, he joined her in her bedroom.
~ THE END ~
Status: Short story
Rated: explicit content
Characters: House and Cuddy
Summary: After Help Me - This story depicts a vision of season 7 premiere, extrapolated from the various pics that've been available on the Internet lately...
(could be considered as a sort of sequel to "There Is A Us")
Disclaimer: OK. Fine! it's not (all) mine. It belongs to David Shore, the lucky b... * sigh*
** THE WILD ESCAPE **
After a silent ride home, they arrived at her house and Cuddy parked her car inside the garage. She turned the engine off and tilted her head to the side to look at House with a shy smile. He read uneasiness in the depth of her eyes or embarrassment, or both, and he quite immediately translated it into what he thought bothered her.
"You want me to wait here while you deal with the sitter?"
She arched her eyebrows in surprise, but simultaneously bit her lips, like someone who knows they've just been caught red-handed.
"No, why?" She lied.
"I don't know: two days, two different men..."
Cuddy took a deep breath and stared intensely at the steering wheel in front of her. Then she turned to the side and looked at him with sorry eyes.
"That thought really did cross my mind, didn't it?" She said with a bit of sadness in her voice.
He reached out his hand and touched her thigh, just above her knee. She shivered and covered his hand with hers.
"Yeah, it did!" He said evenly. "But that's ok. I mean, I don't have to meet the babysitter on our first day anyway, do I?"
She smiled.
"No it's not ok. And yes, you have to meet the babysitter on our first day. But mostly because, do I need to remind you, you said you would be the one paying her; and judging by how late it is, you owe her a lot of money! Money, I have no intention of paying on your behalf!"
"Hey but that's your kid she looked after all day!" He protested, for the sake of it.
"Yes, but that's your escapade that made her stay. She'd have gone home hours ago if I had just spent the day at the hospital."
"Our escapade" He corrected and a manly smile lit his face.
She squeezed his long fingers inside her slender hand and sighed voluptuously, but she suddenly released his hand from her grab and took the key out of the starter.
"Let's go!" She said decidedly, opening the door and stepping out of her car.
She disappeared inside her house and he followed her, limping with a strange extra swing, no longer compensated by his cane now that he'd thrown it somewhere in Ashbury Park, in a dark street near the Stone Pony. He closed the door behind him, a roguish smile on his face and entered via the storeroom in her back kitchen. The lights in the room were off but he could still distinctively see the objects and furniture surrounding him, a faint light coming from the lobby suffusing the kitchen with a blurry orange halo. From the hallway, he heard the sounds of Cuddy's voice and the Spanish accent of the nanny answering back with a low reassuring tone. Then the flow of words subsided, died down, and silence invaded the place again. That's when House realized he was still in the kitchen, standing still and almost holding his breath as if he was hidden there like a dirty secret. But who, other than himself was to blame for this stupid reaction? He shook his head and headed to the hallway with a determined pace.
Marina was putting her coat on and turning her back to him so she didn't see him approach. He stopped behind her and conspicuously cleared his throat to let her know of his presence and she jumped with fright, instantly whirling around to face him with a hand covering her heart.
"Hola!" House said with a chanting voice, holding out his hands, "Don't panic, I'm not here to rob the house. I'm just-"
"House!"
Cuddy's exclamation resonated from the end of the hallway and Marina and House both turned their heads towards her. While she approached in what surely was one of her fastest paces, he pointed in her direction and squinted at Marina's baffled face.
"I'm with her." He said, just when Cuddy arrived at his level and stopped beside him, "and, she totally let me in voluntarily." He added, as she stared at him with warning eyes; but too late. "Isn't that right?"
He cracked a possessive, macho spank on her butt to punctuate his question, which made her instantly freeze; then after the few seconds it took her to recover, she turned her head to the side, shooting daggers at him, firmly resolute to kill him right there and then and dispose of his body somewhere in her backyard, with the help of Marina, who would have surely approved of her gesture.
"You are Dr. House?" The babysitter asked him with a wide smile, totally - and wisely -ignoring the extravagant scene she'd just been a witness of.
House smiled softly at her, while Cuddy tried to regain composure.
"Marina, Dr. House must pay you for the extra hours you did to-"
"Oh no, that's not necessary!" The nanny exclaimed, not letting go of House's eyes, who kept smiling at her with a mischievous grin.
Cuddy puffed incredulously.
"What? Marina, it's almost one thirty in the morning and-"
"Don't worry Ms Cuddy, Dr House and I already made an arrangement."
Cuddy's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"Technically I'm the one owing Dr. House the money-" Marina added.
"Tss, please! A deal is a deal!" House exclaimed, with an absolutely surreal shocked gentlemanliness.
Cuddy's jaws dropped in astonishment. She was no longer certain that all of that was really happening. Maybe she was just dreaming it: that day, though incredibly perfect in all its screwed up unique way, had exhausted her and maybe she was asleep, in her bed, imagining this conversation. Whatever it was, she didn't have the strength to find out anymore. Which, God bless her, Marina didn't fail to notice. She stooped down to get her purse at the foot of the coat rack and grabbed the doorknob.
"I'm going to go now, if you don't need me to stay longer."
"Yes Marina, thank you very much!" Cuddy said, not completely able to hide the little relief in her voice.
Standing behind Cuddy, House winked knowingly at Marina; she giggled in return and Cuddy swung around, squinting suspiciously at him, but his face was already back to being undecipherable and impassible as ever.
"What?" He said, repressing a chuckle. "You said it was late. We all need to go to bed now…"
Cuddy's breath itched and she opened her mouth to say something but opted not to. Marina left and Cuddy closed the door behind her, while House swiftly took advantage of the situation to fly away, strategy of retreat looking like his best option at the moment. When Cuddy turned around, she found herself alone in the middle of her entrance. She puffed, stunned by his sassiness and started to walk toward her bedroom but fumbling noises coming from the kitchen guided her there instead where she found him, leaned down with his head inside the refrigerator and his right hand holding the knob for leverage.
"You mind if I grab something to eat?" He asked, as soon as she stepped inside the room, without even lifting his head.
She came behind him and he straightened up, standing with his back facing her, silently waiting for her approval, or at least that's what she thought.
"Yeah su-" she began.
He turned around, chewing loudly, and brandishing something in front of her.
"What's that?"
"That, is a stick of celery."
"Yeah, I know it is. But what is the purpose of having that in your fridge? I mean, how are you supposed to soothe hunger pangs in the middle of the night with sticks of celery?"
"I don't need to soothe hunger pangs in the middle of the night. I don't have hunger pangs in the middle of the night." She answered defensively.
He studied her with a tantalizing smile for a brief moment and then put the celery down on the counter next to him before confidently yanking her in his arms. She stumbled, taken off guard, and landed against his chest.
"There're so many things you still need to experience." He teased, looking down at her.
"Like how to bribe my babysitter?" She frowned and raised her chin up towards his face.
"I was thinking about hunger pangs, but that too, yeah."
"What did Marina mean when she said you and her had an agreement?"
"Ha! Sorry, one lesson at a time!" He leaned down and came dangerously close to her mouth, blowing warm breaths on the pulp of her lips. "We were talking about being hungry." He whispered and she sucked in a wobbling breath, her shoulders slightly shivering.
"No you were talking about being hungry."
He let go of her and took a small step back.
"Geez Cuddy! Relax! You think I'm not capable of dealing responsibly with your nanny?"
"That's not what I said."
"So what's the problem?"
"There's no problem." She said, looking down at her feet, uneasily. "I'm just... I guess I'm not... used to seeing you like that."
"See? I told you: you still have a lot to learn..."
He pulled her back against him and she covered the side of his arms with her hands, planting her steel grey eyes in his fond gaze. He was right: things seemed to be so different already, despite them still being quite familiar. It was both puzzling and comforting at the same time and it made her head spin a little. She didn't realize she was slightly losing her balance, until he wound his arms tightly around her waist to maintain her up.
"You need to eat." He said, ordering more than suggesting.
"I'm not hungr-"
"You're dizzy."
"I'm tired."
"We haven't eaten since this afternoon. You're sugar deprived."
"I'm sleep deprived."
"Maybe, but I'm not going to help you solve that problem. Actually I strongly intend on making it worse for, let's say..." He flashed an incredibly roguish smile at her, "the next two hours at least..."
"In your dreams!"
She smiled.
He let go of her and looked inside the refrigerator again. She heard him mumble a few incoherent words and then he turned back to face her.
"Close your eyes." He said.
"Why? No!"
"It's an experiment."
"What experiment?"
"Close your eyes and you'll see."
She sighed resignedly, knowing that trying to resist would only cause her to lose some more time; time that only seemed to stand defiantly between her and her bed, as a sweet torture. She closed her eyes and fidgeted impatiently, waiting for whatever she was supposed to wait for.
"Open your mouth."
She opened her eyes instead and stared at him a bit aggravated.
"House, come on! Can't you just give me something to eat now so we can get this over with?"
He stubbornly stared back, silently, until she closed her eyes again, sighing, and opened her mouth. God! She thought, she really needed to stop that yielding weakness she was developing in his presence! And then she felt something cold and a little gummy on her tongue. She grimaced and swallowed half-heartedly.
"What's that?" She asked.
"That, is what's in your fridge!"
She opened her eyes and questioned him with a look of surprise.
"I have that in my fridge? No way! I don't eat that."
House brandished a cup to her, with a smile.
"Banana semolina pudding." He read on the label.
Cuddy snatched the cup out of his hand, putting it back in the fridge.
"It's Rachel's food." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Well lucky her! Cuz I'm pretty sure I picked the only decent food there is in your fridge!"
"House! Do you have a point?" She asked a little exasperated.
He froze and suddenly stared at her almost with panic in his eyes. The shadow she saw passing behind his gaze took her aback; and the extreme cautiousness with which he was looking at her, almost waiting to know what would come next - almost puzzled by that very idea - made her shiver. She took a step toward him and smiled tenderly.
"Now you know there's at least one person who eats decent food in this house." She said with a soft voice.
He sighed and bit his lower lip, as if he was searching for the right words; words he thought he didn't have. She read his distress and slowly closed the last inches that separated them to snuggle up against him. When she buried her face in his chest and gently rubbed her nose against his male-scented tee-shirt, she heard him took a deep breath and he cupped her skull with both his hands, caressing her hair tentatively.
"She's sleeping?" He asked with a raspy voice barely above a whisper.
Cuddy straightened up and looked at him incredulously.
"Rachel." He specified, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Yes, she is. She's sound asleep." She answered, huddling up against him again.
"Good." He murmured.
He enfolded her in his embrace, and she let herself go in his warmth, inhaling deeply and remaining perfectly still. And then she kissed him. On his chest, just where her mouth was; and she put her hands on his hips, sliding underneath his tee-shirt to touch his skin, and climbing up on his belly, drawing circles on his torso with her caresses. House didn't move at first, but she knew, without looking, that he had closed his eyes and tilted his head back a little. Only one day had passed and despite the novelty and somewhat frightening unknown that were standing ahead of them, there were things she'd already unveiled with absolute certainty; things that were the very reasons that had brought her back to him the night before; like the kind of lover he was, behind the mask and under the shell: delicate and caring; unselfish and tender.
She tugged at his collar, uncovering the crook of his neck and the hems of his bandage, and he leaned down slowly to meet her lips. It felt like a stroke, chin against chin, when he brushed his lips on hers and a wave of desire took hold of her. She let out a soft moan and claimed his mouth more impatiently, a powerful crave for contact pervading her. They deepened their kiss, and when she felt the touch of his callous hands on the small of her back, pressing her closer against him, she gripped his shoulders and bit in the pulp of his lips.
"I don't need to eat. I don't want-" She moaned throatily, into his mouth.
He pushed her against the counter and nose-dived into her neck.
"I know what you want." He blew along her carotid.
His nimble fingers fumbled with the buttons of her cardigan and he drew the tails apart to undress her, while his mouth continued to explore the sensitive spots in her nape. Shivering, she groped around and found his hands at the waistband of her pants. She seized his wrists and pushed them away before he had time to reach the next step.
"No-" She panted.
"No?"
She straightened up and looked at him with a reassuring lustful gaze, clearly saying that her 'no' was already half a 'yes'.
"Not here! As much as I... love sex in the kitchen, I'm not up for another round on a cold hard surface..." She pouted. "Sorry."
He grinned amused, and put out his hand to her. They exited the kitchen and once in the hallway, he stopped to kiss her again. She gave in, leaning her back on the wall and interlaced her fingers behind his neck to pull him down closer to her face. Nibbling, kissing, licking, caressing, she slowly but firmly tugged him with her, making him follow in her footsteps towards her bedroom. But, despite the compelling attraction she exercised on him, he grabbed her shoulders and made her break away from their embrace.
"No."
"No?" She'd started to smile, thinking he was just playing with her, but it died down on her lips when a sudden flustered look clouded his face over. "What's wrong?" She asked, feeling a sudden gush of awkwardness pervade her.
He looked down, self-consciously.
"I don't know if I really wanna go there."
"What? Wait, where?" She exclaimed.
"In your bed. Not sure I wanna be in those sheets..."
She bit her lips and stared at him, terrified by the meaning of his words. She felt cruel in an irrational way that she was totally incapable of containing and she looked up at him, mortified. He instantly came close to her and took her inside his arms.
"No, no, I don't mean it in that way! No, it's okay. It's not your fault. It's okay." He reassured her, gently cradling her face inside the palms of his hands. She closed her eyes and he leaned down to kiss her eyelids, softly.
"I'm gonna go home." He then said with a low voice.
She extricated from his embrace and look at him, disconcerted.
"What? Why?"
"I don't know... You're tired, I should let you sleep." He whispered.
"You can't go. You don't have your bike."
"I'll call a cab."
"No. I don't want you to go."
Her eyes were pleading but she'd managed to speak with a resolute tone. She stared at him, with an almost daring look.
"Ok."
She couldn't contain the sigh of relief that escaped her lips. She took his hand to guide him in the living room, and to the sofa, where she made him sit. She stood in front of him and, before he had the time to say anything, she took off both her tee-shirt and cardigan in one swift confident gesture. He arched his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled appreciatively.
"You said you had no intention of helping me with my lack of sleep..." She said mischievously, taking a step toward the couch.
"Did I?"
She put one knee alongside his thigh and bent over to his face, reaching out her arm behind his head to grip the backrest for leverage.
"Yeah. For at least two hours."
"And you believed me? You're so gullible!"
He chuckled.
"Yeah, who'd have known?" She answered with a hoarse voice, leaning down to his face.
He took a deep breath and squirmed on the couch underneath her.
"How's your leg?"
"Fine... It doesn't hurt too much."
"But it does?" She looked concerned.
As a unique answer, he tugged her wrist and it made her topple in his arms. She instantly repositioned herself to avoid applying pressure on his thigh and he smiled at her fondly. She stared back at him, silent, and suddenly her whole body ached for his caresses. Without wasting one more second, she threw herself to him and ravenously kissed him, while her hand slid at the waistband of his pants, trying to pull them down.
"I thought I looked sexy in those PJ pants..." He moaned inside her mouth, as she was struggling to remove them without breaking away from their kiss. She did anyway, and pulled away, panting.
"Not as sexy as you'll look without them." she said, suddenly jumping off the couch.
She kicked her shoes off, carelessly, and then wiggled frenziedly to take off her pants. Only moments after, she stood in front of him in her underwear, her cheeks flushed with desire and impatience. He studied her with a look of admiration mingled with bafflement, and when she leaned down to him, with a feline glitter in her steel grey eyes, he tipped his head back on the sofa's backrest and sucked in a sharp breath. She helped him get rid of his tee-shirt first, and she trailed a line of kisses on his chest, from his collarbone to his navel, rubbing her nose on his skin and feeling the up and down waves of his breathing cradling her softly. Then she seized the waistband of his PJs pants and slowly slid them off his legs, along with his boxers, finishing undressing him completely by taking off his sneakers and socks. Seated naked on her couch, House stared at her with a complete surrendering gaze, emotionally unguarded and serene like she thought she would never see him again.
The way he had let go of decades of pain and confusion with his patient the night before, with such uncensored honesty had been the signal of him starting to unlock his emotions and since then, every time she'd witnessed him appear so genuinely raw and fragile had equally fascinated her, just as she was feeling in that very moment, looking at him staring at her with expecting eyes. It made her almost want to cry; she could sense the flow of mingled emotions of joy, awe and desire brewing inside her and there was nothing she wanted to do more than make love to him and become his, unreservedly, once again.
She kneeled down between his legs and she put her hands on his thighs. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes and she saw his abdominal muscles contract in expectation, or apprehension, or maybe both so she began to run her fingertips on his skin. She didn't try to avoid his scar. She even trailed a little longer around and on it, just to show him she wasn't afraid, just to tell him she accepted it, just to let him know she didn't care: she wanted him like he was. Exactly like he was.
As her hands kept on fondling up and down the sides of his thighs, she leaned down and kissed him delicately. On his belly, on his hipbone, on his groin. His erection left no doubt about the growing desire he was feeling for her. She kissed him there, on the tip of his shaft, and along its length. Her hands climbed to his hips and she took him inside her mouth. He let out a loud gasp and he clenched his fists while she continued to caress and lick and kiss; and it felt so good. She felt so good, almighty and helpless at the same time. She had him at her mercy. He had her at his mercy. To feel him revive and throb with such powerful force under her tongue strokes made her feel more alive than she had ever been in months.
It was like crawling out of dark tunnel: overwhelming, soothing, and warming; so many feelings she had forgotten about... She was learning how to feel them again, finally, thanks to him...
He put out his hand and touched her shoulder; she lifted her face up to meet his eyes and he smiled at her.
"Come here." He told her with a raspy voice full of lust.
She stood up and he sat up straight in the couch, coming close to her. His head came at her midriff's level. He enfolded her in his arms and he rested his face on her stomach, squeezing her tight and laying light, tender kisses on her skin, while his fingers unhooked her bra. He pulled back and lost contact with her skin only for a few seconds, enough to slide the bra stripes off her arms and take it off of her. As she was still standing in front of him, her breasts exposed to him, he stroked the small of her back and the delicious, half tickling sensation made her jolt forward. She griped his shoulders to keep her balance and he came close to her again, taking one of her breasts inside his mouth, sucking her nipple with an absolute delicacy, awakening every one of her nerve endings and arousing her desire inexorably, higher and higher, until it made her purr like a cat, while the sway of her hips appealed him compellingly to the part of her body where she was aching to feel him. He knew what she was asking. Their love language, new to them, was however not completely unrevealed; it was like the burning reminiscence of their long-time repressed fantasies. They knew exactly what it meant, what it longed for. They knew what to do, without words. House instantly read her dance, deciphered her moans and understood her needs. He slid his hands inside her panties and grasped her ass cheeks, kneading her flesh with a lascivious rhythm, while his tongue on her breast kept twirling and licking and sucking skillfully.
She almost roared then and she instinctively clutched her fingers, planting her nails in his upper back. House slid her panties down to her calves. She stepped out of them and he leaned down to her lower abdomen, nipping her belly skin, where it was tender and thin, warm and soft as the softest silk. She stepped back and, with his hands on both sides of her waist, he motioned her to lie down on the couch. She let him guide her, following his moves and waiting for him to take the position he wanted to have. She lied down on the couch and stretched herself completely to welcome him above her. He positioned himself on top of her and sheltered her petite frame underneath his strapping body, accompanying his gesture with gentle caresses on her shoulders and arms.
She still remembered, from a long, long time ago. She shouldn't have been so amazed by how tender he was, and yet it struck her, irrepressibly. She would never have imagined that he could still be so gentle, now, again, despite all the pain he had lived through. She'd had irrational thoughts about him being a bitter, impatient lover or that life and loneliness would have scarred him just as his infarction had scarred his leg. She'd thought he would be cynical, less caring. But she was willing to love him even so. And now, it was not just about willing to love him anymore. She knew the moment she'd stepped in her bathroom that she was giving up on her will, her reasonable needs. She'd accepted to love him and it was more than just about willing to. Somehow, she was now condemned to.
Because there was no way out of this.
When she was feeling the touch of his hands on her like she was in that moment, when his breath was brushing the skin of her neck and all she could focus her mind on was the breath-taking sensation of him diving inside her, she knew there wasn't.
But she didn't care.
House put his right hand under the small of her back to maintain a close contact with her hips and he began to thrust inside her. Slowly. And within each shove, languorous and sensual, her gasps became louder. It felt like a wave inside her, unstoppable and overpowering. It simply took her breath away. His rhythm, his strength, his restraint, the movement of his hips. Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Her moans became cries and her back arched up towards him, to increase the sensation of his thrusts in her core. She wound one leg around his hip, then the other, and she encircled him, keeping him close, and imprisoning him inside her. She was panting lustfully and House gently kissed her lips, while his hand stroked her hair and he stopped moving for a second.
"No, again, again, again..." she pleaded inside his mouth, short of breath.
And he began to rock his hips again. Cuddy wound her arms around his neck and she threw her head back on the sofa's armrest. He nose-dived in her neck and nibbled her exposed skin and the rising flow of her orgasm took hold of her whole body, spreading in her stomach, contracting her muscles, jerking her limbs incoherently, and making her tremble from head to toe underneath him.
"Oh God yes, yes... yes... House, right there! Yes..."
She scraped him hard on his back and she squashed him between her toned legs and he collapsed onto her, panting through her hair. They remained immobile, him on top of her, recovering from their amazing ride, catching their breath, and after a short while, House rolled to the side, his back against the sofa's backrest and she slithered to come as close to him as she could. She reached out her arm above his shoulder and grabbed the comforter that was folded there to cover their bodies. He helped her spread it on top of them and once they found a new comfortable, warm position beneath the blanket, she sighed in pure bliss and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'm never going to want to sleep again." She said, with a light chuckle in her voice.
He kissed her on her forehead and held her closer and tighter in his embrace.
"You can't stop sleeping. If you don't sleep, you'll die."
She lifted her head to look at him and rolled her eyes disapprovingly.
"Wow! I love pillow talk with you, it's so... what's the word?... comforting!"
"Well, that's true!" He faked to protest with a smile.
"I know. And I was not talking about that."
"I know what you were talking about. Sex maniac!"
"Are you complaining?"
"Me? Good God, no!" His hand was fondling the round shape of her shoulder, almost absent-mindedly. "I might get used to it." He added suddenly serious, his voice low and hoarse.
She took a deep voluptuous breath, and snuggled up against him, closing her eyes and letting his male scent fill her nostrils.
"You know that's the fourth time we're doing it today." He said point blank, still caressing her gently.
She propped herself up on her elbow and look at him dumbfounded.
"Are you starting a count of how many times we're having sex?" She asked bemused.
He stopped caressing her and wriggled until he pulled away from her enough to face her.
"No." He told her, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Then why do you say that?"
"Because..." He stared at her intensely, "it's one more time than the last time."
Her mouth dropped open slightly and she felt her heart pounding in her chest like drumbeats. Was he really talking about that night, so far away in time? The night she had tried to forget, unsuccessfully and forcefully so many times. The fact that he could remember that particular detail took her off guard in the most delightful way. She shivered and stared at him tenderly.
"I think... maybe it's a sign." He whispered tentatively.
"What sign?" She asked, putting out her hand to caress his cheek.
"That this is really going somewhere this time."
She bit her lips as the wave of tenderness overwhelmed her. Perhaps she'd made the worst decision in her life. Perhaps they would burn in hell and destroy each other. Perhaps they would end with their hearts shattered in pieces and forever wrecked. Only time would tell. But in that instant, may it have lasted just this one day, she still wouldn't have traded it for the world.
She came close to his face and kissed him with all the love he inspired her: sensually, and with insatiable hunger. No, she would never have enough of him. Not if he could be like that with her, must it only be for the moments when they would be just the two of them together. She didn't need more. Just him, cradling her in his arms and making her feel like the most fulfilled woman in the word.
"How about it starts with us going in my bedroom to sleep in a real bed?" She asked, cautiously, fearing that he would decline and leave, for the reasons he had evoked earlier.
He planted his baby blue eyes in hers and stared at her, resolutely mute.
"You know," She added, swallowing back her awkwardness, "I'm sure Marina changed the sh-"
He put his finger on her lips and silenced her.
"Shhh," He said, and then he smiled at her. "I don't care. All I want to do is sleep now. Somewhere comfortable; because maybe it's just the right size for your tiny little body, but in case you didn't notice, your blanket is as useful as a handkerchief for me!"
He pouted sulkily and pointed at his feet which extended beyond the woolen comforter. She burst into a spontaneous laughter, the knot in her throat suddenly eased by the relief she'd felt to know he would stay with her. She drew the blanket out and threw it away, uncovering their naked bodies and then she swiftly stood up and looked down at him with a playful smile.
"Come on, big boy," She said, teasingly, "I'm sure you can make it to five if you're in a real bed!"
And she exited the room, almost running, before he had time to get up.
" Hey! I said I wanted to sleep!" He shouted to her as she was probably already half-way down the hallway. He then looked at the messy heap of clothes on the floor and he smiled with mischief.
He got up, turned the lights off in the living room and with a light pace, barely limping, he joined her in her bedroom.
~ THE END ~