Chapter 20
After Hermione and Luna started to pull out all the supplies to pack a lunch, they both changed their minds and decided to get dressed and ready for the beach and then meet back in the kitchen to start fixing lunch.
Hermione was the first one back and decided the first order of business was to slice some tomatoes for the sandwiches. She would leave them on the side, she decided as she ran them under the running water in the sink. Just in case someone didn't care for them. She had just finished slicing the first of three tomatoes when the back door swung open.
"Hey, Hermione."
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, Ron…get the tent all set up?"
"It was a major beating, but we got the job done." He glanced around at all the food scattered everywhere. "Did the kitchen blow up or something?"
Hermione laughed as she kept on slicing. "Yeah, I know. I work better with everything out in the open. Where's the rest of the tent crew?"
"Harry should be right behind me." Because it was there, he snagged a salty potato chip and popped it in his mouth. "Draco stayed behind…wanted to go for a swim or something. He wasn't in the best of moods."
"Really?" She put the knife down and turned. "What was wrong with him?"
With his mouth full of another potato ship, Ron shrugged. "How fould I fow?"
"Didn't you bother to ask?" she wondered, completely unfazed by his disgusting habit of talking with his mouth full. She was beyond use to it.
Ron snorted. "No…we don't talk about it to death like you females. If someone is in a pissy mood we just let them be pissy quietly. Now if the guy in a pissy mood, wants to talk about it, then that's fine, but usually…we don't bring it up. It's like…an unspoken rule for the male species."
"Huh," she said after a moment. "I guess that makes sense…in a weird, pathetic sort of way. Thanks for the lesson."
"No problem…I know you're always willing to learn new things."
Hermione laughed as she turned her attention back to the tomatoes. "This is true."
"Well…I'm going to go up and change. Then I'm suppose to carry some beach chairs on my way back down."
"And when you're done with that, you can come back up and help bring the food and drinks down."
"Yeah, sure," he said as he grabbed one last chip before heading out. "See you in a bit."
Ron swung through the kitchen door and as he chomped down his potato chip he slapped his hands a few times together to wipe off the crumbs and grease. Whoever invented potato chips was a fucking genius. And beer…and of course, coffee…and then there was Sheppard's Pie...
His inner dialogue tributes to fabulous food and beverages took an immediate halt when he was making his way up the stairs and saw Luna just coming down from the top. She was decked out in her beach wear, with a yellow fitted cover-up that stopped just at her mid-thighs with a pair of matching flip-flops with sunflowers perched on top of her toes.
She looked like a ray of sunshine. He thought and was just about to tell her that when Miss Sunshine herself, lost her footing, yelped, fell backwards with her arms flaring, landed on her butt, then topped it off by skidding a number of steps downwards and nearly ran into him.
"Woah," he said as he stopped her momentum with his legs and fell forward and landed his hands on either side of her. He couldn't seem to stop the laughter rolling out of him as he loomed over her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes...I'm fine," she said laughing as well but then winced slightly. "Except for my bum."
"I imagine so," he said and then flashed a grin before pushing himself upright with his hands.
"I can't believe I did that," she said as she took his outstretched hand and let him help her to her feet. "How embarrassing."
"Don't be embarrassed," he said as he placed his hands firmly on her shoulders to steady her. She was a standing two steps higher than him so they were almost to eye-level. "It wasn't nearly as embarrassing as running into a door."
She laughed. "Good point."
He ran his hands down her arms and cupped her elbows. "Sure you're all right?"
She couldn't stop the violent shudder that erupted from his touch. "I'm fine. Like I said, I'm more embarrassed than anything."
"If it makes you feel any better, you fell very gracefully." When she laughed Ron felt something strike straight to his belly. He wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He reached up and tucked a lock of her hair that had strayed from her ponytail behind her ear. "You know what I was thinking before you fell-gracefully-on your bum?"
"I'm not sure," she said slightly dazed. He was so close and boy did he smell good. She could smell the ocean on him and why was that so intoxicating? "Were…you thinking about food?"
Ron blinked for a moment then bust out laughing. "Wow…I never realized how well you know me. I was thinking about food but as soon as I saw you that went out the window."
Luna lifted a skeptical brow. "I made you stop thinking about food? That seems a bit far-fetched."
"Not to me." He smiled softly as he leaned back to look her over. "I thought you looked like the sun."
She managed a laugh as she looked at herself. "I guess I did go a little overboard with the yellow."
"I like it," he stated as he ran a loose fist down her long wavy blonde tail. "You look good in yellow."
Luna let out a shaky breath as she felt her heart start to shudder. "Ronald, are you trying to get me all flustered?"
"No." He cocked his head to the side to study her. "Is that what I'm doing?"
"If you keep saying these things to me while you're standing at a close distance…then yes."
"I don't think I've ever made a girl flustered before," he said with a grin. "I think I like it."
"Well…I'm glad I could help." She put a wary hand on his chest when she thought he might have leaned closer. "And since you now know you can fluster me…why don't you take a step back unless…"
"Unless what?" he asked when she trailed off.
"N-Nothing," she sputtered as she waved it off. "It's…I should probably go and help out in the kitchen." She carefully sidestepped to the right side of him and started to inch by. "I'll see you down at the beach, Ronald, and…"
He reached out and grabbed her arm before she could completely pass him. She was now on the same step as he so he was now looming over her. "Unless what, Luna?" he asked as he leaned closer to her.
Her back pressed tightly against the banister and gulped when he placed his hands on either side of her…caging her in. Her heart shuddered painfully in her chest as she could only look up at him wide-eyed. "Ron…what are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out what you want," he murmured as his eyes flickered over her face.
"And invading my body space is the way to do that?"
"I don't know…just seemed like the thing to do." He flashed a grin. "You can shove me away if it makes you uncomfortable."
She put her hands firmly on his chest to do just that, but as she looked up into his beautiful eyes that were filled with laughter and amusement, everything inside her snapped. All her insecurities, her fears on what might happen if she gave into her urges and just took what she wanted, disappeared in a matter of seconds. "Or I could just do this," she said brazenly as she gripped handfuls of his shirt…and tugged.
He wasn't prepared for the sudden jerk and all but staggered himself clumsily into her. And he certainly wasn't prepared for the aggressive meeting of lips that had happened soon after his not so graceful stumble. He wasn't prepared for any of it. Like how her lips were firm, yet soft. Or that her long willowy body pressed up against his sent his blood humming with need.
And when she opened her lips just an inch, he gripped the banister tight and pulled his own self even more firmly against her as he slowly inched his tongue between her lips and took his first greedy taste of her. She tasted sweet as honey and didn't know if the groan that had escaped came from him, her…or both of them.
Finally, finally, finally. She had been chanting that in her mind over and over again as soon as she yanked his lips to hers. She loosened her grip on his shirt and slid them up and around his neck while her mouth continued to work busily with his. Merlin, if she knew how wonderful it was to be kissed by him, she was had found the courage to do this a long time ago.
He let go of the banister and reached up to grip her handfuls of her long wavy ponytail instead. He plundered urgently one last time before slowing it down, with lazy sweeping tongues and gentle nips before he gently pulled back on her tail until their lips no longer touched. He looked down at her as they both caught their breaths. "How long have you felt this way, Luna?"
"Awhile."
He let go of her tail and reached up to cup her face. "Define, `awhile'."
"Well, for Pete's Sake!"|
Both turned to see Ginny standing on the top of the step with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "I swear you two can't keep your hands off each other."
Ron looked back and Luna and grinned when she blushed. "Apparently not."
Ginny rolled her eyes as she started down. "If you two want to snog, that's not my business, but at least have the decency to do it in private and not out in the open."
Ron watched her sister flounce down the stairs, around the corner and out of sight. "Well, what crawled up her ass and died?"
Draco Malfoy, that's what. "I'm not sure," she said instead, figuring it was probably best if she kept it to herself. "I better go and see." Hands that weren't quite steady gently pushed Ron back far enough for her to slide out between him and the banister.
"Luna," he said after she took a few steps down. When she turned back around he grabbed her face with his hands and crushed his lips to hers in a hard, passionate, drawn out kiss that left them both breathless. "We have some things to talk about."
"I guess we do," she managed and the licked her lips nervously. The taste of him lingered on her tongue. "I better go."
He reluctantly let her go and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "I'll see you down there."
She gave a quick nod before practically fleeing down the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, she leaned feebly against the wall and shut her eyes as she tried to settle her nerves. She just had a crazy, out of this world snog with the man she had been pining for since the moment she laid eyes on him. She had been wanting that to happen for so long, been dreaming out it for so long, but never thought it would leave her this shaken up.
She let out a sigh as she pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. She had jumped him…just like she had teasingly told Ginny to do to Draco. She couldn't believe she actually got the courage to do that and she also couldn't believe that he had actually kissed her back. Once he had gotten over the shock that is. And boy, oh boy could that man kiss!
Best not to think about it, she decided as she took another calming breath before she pushed herself off the wall. If she thought about it too much she might act without thinking again and that could be dangerous. What she needed to do was put Ron and his kissable mouth of her mind-for the moment-and concentrate on finding out what was wrong with Ginny.
XXX
Harry breezed into the kitchen almost right after Ron left, and found Hermione halfway into the refrigerator with her butt sticking out. Her butt wiggled as she streamed out curses like, "Where is that stupid son of a…" and, something, something, "…fucking ridiculous."
With an amused lift of an eyebrow, Harry sauntered over next to her and placed a hand on the small of her back. He had opened his mouth to say something, but as soon as his hand had touched her, her body suddenly jerked, followed by a loud bang, and then another stream of curses. Harry winced as he watched her slide back out and straightened with a hand on her head. "Sorry…are you all right?"
"No, I'm not all right," she said and then winced herself as she pressed her hand more firmly on the place she had rapped her head. "You snuck up on me, Harry, causing me to injure myself."
"Again…sorry." He took a step closer and moved her hands away. "Here…let me look."
"No, don't touch it," she panicked as she tried to swat away his probing fingers.
"Don't be such a baby," he teased as he leaned up on his toes and bent her head down. "Relax…I'll be gentle."
She only huffed in annoyance as she had no choice but to stand still while Harry examined her as if she was some frail, feeble, patient. "Look, its fine…nothing you can do about it really."
"I don't know…I could always do this."
Her heart shuddered when she felt his lips touch tenderly on her head. "Harry."
"Feel better?" he asked as he pulled her back and framed her face with his hands, studying her eyes. "No dizziness or blurred vision? Do you see two of me?"
"No…one Harry is good enough for me."
He smiled softly as he swept his thumbs across her cheekbones. "Well…you might have a slight lump, but other than that, I think you'll pull through."
"Thanks, Doc."
He smiled and then made himself pull his hands away and rested one of them on the top of the open door. "So…what exactly were you looking for while you were cursing like a drunken sailor?"
It took her a moment to process the question. She was a little distracted by how close he was and with her back pressed against the shelves of the refrigerator door and his arm stretched out next to her, she felt caged in. "Oh, I…I was looking for…pickles...a jar of pickles." She then scowled when she remembered her frustration. "Surely they're in here somewhere, this refrigerator is stacked. I looked and looked, but…"
"You mean these?" He reached down and grabbed a jar on the shelf of the door, right by her hip, and held it up. "Looks like pickles to me."
Her jaw dropped, and then snagged it away from him. "Where did you? How did you?" She pointed a firm finger at the jar and looked up at him. "I swear that wasn't there a minute ago."
"Must be a magic jar of pickles. It only appears to the talented and gifted."
"Ha, ha," she said dryly but then waved it off. "Whatever…I'm just glad it's been found." She leaned forward to move and when Harry didn't budge, stumbled back into the door. "Um…I need to…move."
He only leaned closer. "Why?"
She placed a wary hand on his chest. "For one thing, the door has been opened too long and I'm getting cold."
"Okay." He took a stepped back, tugged her with him, closed the door, and then pinned her against the front of the refrigerator while he placed he placed his hands on either side of her head. "Better?"
Her breath caught in her throat when the long, muscular line of his body grazed hers. "Not really." Her whole body shuddered when he bent his head down and simply rubbed his chiseled cheek against hers. "Harry…"
"Merlin, you smell good," he murmured into her neck, then brushed his lips against the soft spot under her ear.
She tightened her grip on the pickle jar since that was the only thing she could hold onto. "I thought we were going to take this slow, Harry," she said even as she turned her head slightly to give him more access.
He grinned against her neck as he continued to drop kisses here and then there. "It's going slow enough to drive me crazy," he finally murmured into her ear, causing her to tremble against him.
"Harry…you're the one driving me crazy."
He lifted his neck at the same time he reached up and gripped the top of the refrigerator. He was pressing down on his hands as he swooped his head lower to hers. "That's a nice thing to say. Are you trying to flatter me, Lumpy?"
She blinked up at him. "Lumpy?" He just grinned as he brought one hand down and pressed gently against her small lump that had formed on her head. "Ow! Jeez, cut that out. And you're not going to start calling me, Lumpy. I refuse."
"Whatever you say…Lumpy."
And when she just scowled up at him, he just chuckled as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet, playful way. "C'mon," he said as he pulled away. "I'll help you until the girls come down." He took the pickle jar from her limp fingers. "Why don't I start with opening this?"
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